The Legend of Naruto
by Kurama no Kyubi
Summary: The Triforce vanished 2.000 years ago, but what happens when it's three pieces are re-discovered in three unlikely poeple.
1. Chapter 1

**The Legend of Naruto:**

**A/N: This is a Naruto/Zelda crossover. Hope you like it and please review. **

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God thought**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

Prologue

_Long ago, the three Goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore created the world and when they were done, they left._

_But they left behind a sacred triangle called the Triforce and an era of peace began._

_However, it didn't last._

_For an evil man tried to seize the Triforce, but instead of gaining the full Triforce, the Triforce split in three and the evil man gained the Triforce of Power._

_The Triforce of Wisdom came to a princess and the Triforce of Courage came to a hero from the forest._

_Trying to gain the other two pieces, the evil man captured the princess and conquered the kingdom._

_But, carrying a sacred blade, the hero came forth and defeated the evil man._

_Each century, this cycle would continue and always end with the hero winning._

_Until one day when a massive creature with ten tails emerged and for once the hero and the villain had to join forces._

_And with the combined power of the three Triforce pieces a new power were created and the cycle were broken._

_Until…_

Somewhere in a dark room was a child, no more than 12 years old, sitting at a table. The boy had red hair, green skin and he was wearing a black armor and a black cape with a red underside. He also had a hitai-ate on his forehead with the picture of the Triforce on it.

He was reading through some ancient documents and seemed to be getting a little frustrated.

"Why is it that I cannot unlock the Triforce of Power? I'm the strongest one in the entire village and I'm the direct descendant of the King of Evil." The boy then picked up a parchment and read some of the contents on it.

"The Triforce of Power, just like the name suggests loves power. In other words, if a Triforce of Power holder were to marry into a strong clan, the Triforce piece might jump holders, though this theory hasn't been proven." Realization dawned on the young boy as he stood up and left the room, deciding to meet with the ancient elders.

The boy entered a large, seemingly empty room, but when he reached the middle of the room, a large platform rose up, almost bringing him up to the ceiling.

When the platform had stopped rising, two old women started circling around the boy on their brooms.

One of the two old women had green, wrinkled skin and dressed in black robes with white Gerudo pattern near the hems and an obi-like belt around her waist. She had a blue jewel on her forehead, blue slippers, and the markings on her headband were in red with a blue border, and she also had a large turban on her head. This is Kotake, one of the ancient elders of the Gerudo.

The other one also had greenish tinged, wrinkled skin and dressed in black robes with white Gerudo pattern near the hems and an obi-like belt around her waist. She had a red jewel on her forehead, red slippers, and the markings on her headband were in blue with a red border, she also had a large turban on her head. This is Koume, the other of the ancient elders of the Gerudo.

"Ah, young prince. What brings you here?" Koume asked

"I need information. Information that only you two hags can give me." The prince said.

"What information do you need?" Kotake asked as she and her sister continued circling the boy.

"I found out that if a holder of the Triforce of Power would marry someone from a strong clan, the Triforce piece might jump holders…" The boy began before getting interrupted by Koume.

"So you want us to tell you if one of your ancestors married someone of a strong clan?" Before the boy could respond to her question, she continued "Very well."

"I remember it as though it was only yesterday. About 80 years ago one of your ancestors married a strong man." Kotake said.

"Oh yes. And what a handsome young man that Madara was." Koume said.

"Just too bad he had to go and get himself killed by that Hashirama, though I suspect that all he really wanted was the Triforce piece." Kotake said.

"Wait a minute. Madara? As in Uchiha Madara, one of Konoha's two founding fathers? That Madara?" The boy asked.

"The same." Koume and Kotake said at the same time.

"So the Triforce of Power is in the Uchiha clan?"

"That is a possibility." Koume said.

The boy then turned to leave, intent on stealing the piece back, but he was stopped when Koume continued talking.

"If you are thinking of going to Konoha, you should wait."

"What for?" The boy asked.

"You might be the strongest one in this village, but even you cannot take on the entire Uchiha clan all by yourself." Kotake said.

"You should wait till the time is right." Koume said, a plan already forming in her mind.

"Very well. I'll try to be patient for now." The boy said before jumping down from the platform, landing on the floor and walking out the door.

Chapter preview

Kakashi "Now, I'd like you to tell me a little about yourself."

Naruto "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. (The mark of the Triforce of Courage starts glowing on his right hand) My dream is to one day become Hokage. And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last."

Sasuke "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. (The mark of the Triforce of Power starts glowing on his right hand) I plan to restore my clan. And there's someone I have sworn to kill."

Kakashi "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Bell test."

A/N:** I hope you liked it, and also it seems that Koume and Kotake might have been the true masterminds behind the Uchiha coup, as well as the Uchiha massacre, I wonder what Sasuke will do when he finds that out.**


	2. Bell test

**The Legend of Naruto**

**A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated, but since I'm working on 8 stories, I decided to only concentrate on one story per week and this is the seventh story, so for those who are reading Sonic and the Jinchuriki, you can expect a new chapter next week.**

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.' **_**Biju and God thought**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Kishimoto Masashi-san and Zelda is owned by Miyamoto Shigeru-san.

Chapter 1: Bell test

12 year old Uzumaki Naruto got up from his bed, ate breakfast, put on his usual attire, an orange jumpsuit with a white t-shirt underneath and matching orange pants and blue shinobi sandals just like any other day. He then put on his new Hitai-ate because this wasn't any other day, today he would finally become a genin of Konohagakure no sato, the biggest and strongest of the hidden villages.

Ninja academy, room 203

Naruto was sitting at his desk at the academy, waiting for Iruka-sensei to come and assign him to a squad, the other graduates were surprised to see Naruto there of course since he was supposed to have been the only one to have flunked the test.

"What are you doing here Naruto? Class today is only for those who didn't fail!" Nara Shikamaru – one of Naruto's only three friends at the academy – asked.

"What? Can't you see the Hitai-ate?" Naruto asked as he pointed at said headband.

"Excuse me, may I pass?" The two turned to see Haruno Sakura.

'_Sa-Sakura-chan! No way… she wants to sit next to me?'_ Naruto thought, but his hopes were crushed by the pinkette's next words.

"Naruto, move it! I'm trying to get around you!" Sakura yelled and Naruto looked to his left and saw the so-called rookie of the year, Uchiha Sasuke of the supposedly strong Uchiha clan.

'_There he is… the class heart-throb!' _Naruto thought before Sasuke looked towards him.

"You want something?" Sasuke asked.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you talking to me?" Naruto yelled.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun. Is this seat taken…?" Sakura exclaimed as she trampled over Naruto and sat down in between the blond and the raven-head.

Soon after had their sensei Umino Iruka-sensei finally showed up to assign them to different teams.

"From this day forward, you are no longer mere students of Ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi. But, among the ranks of the shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead. The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village. We will begin by dividing you into three-man teams. Each of which will be mentored by a jonin, who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments." Iruka said.

'_Three-man teams? Sounds like two too many…'_ Sasuke thought.

'_It's perfect! I know they'll team me up with Sasuke-kun!' _Sakura thought.

'_So long as I'm partnered with Sakura-chan… I'll take anybody else… except Sasuke!'_ Naruto thought.

"I made the selections so that each team's abilities would be approximately equal." Iruka said.

"WHAT!" Almost everyone in the room yelled and Iruka went through the selections, starting with team 1.

"Next, team 7. Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto…" At that Naruto immediately cheered in triumph while Sakura slumped "…and Uchiha Sasuke!" Now their reactions were the complete opposite.

"Next, team 8. Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Hyuga Hinata!" Iruka said before telling who the members of team 9 would be before he finally reached team 10, which was the last team "Finally, team 10. Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino!"

"I'll be introducing your jonin senseis this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed!" Iruka finished and everyone left the room.

Konoha, academy grounds

Naruto walked out of the academy, not realizing the mark on his hand that was beginning to glow.

"…**aruto… hear me…"** Naruto started to look around, that voice was here again, he'd never told anyone about it, but he's been hearing voices for as long as he could remember, first when he learned that the Kyubi was sealed in him, he thought that it was him, but the voice didn't sound like a demon at all, in fact it sounded more like a young girl.

'_Oh, great there it is again…'_ Naruto thought as he looked around, still not noticing the mark on his right hand.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me…"** The voice said, getting more clearer.

"W-where are you?" Naruto asked as he looked around, normally it sounded like the voice was far away, but this time it sounded closer… a lot closer and as if on instinct Naruto looked towards the gym "…the gym!" And he ran towards it, but once inside there was nothing there.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me, there's a great evil approaching…"** Naruto looked around trying to find out where the voice came from, but as the mark on his hand stopped glowing and disappeared as though it was never there, so did the voice.

Ninja academy, room 203

Naruto was sitting at a desk in the classroom, thinking over what the voice had said, normally it only said random letters, but this time it was a sentence, even if it was incomplete.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me, there's a great evil approaching…"**

"What was that all about?" Naruto said quietly to himself so that no one would hear him.

Nearly on the other side of the room were Sasuke sitting, similar thoughts going through his head.

Flashback

Sasuke walked down an empty street in Konoha, but on his way he suddenly heard that voice which had been popping up in his head every now and then.

"**Sa… ke-kun… beware…" **The voice said before vanishing again as Sasuke looked around, trying to find its source.

Flashback end

'_Beware… beware of what…?' _Sasuke wondered as the door finally opened and their jonin sensei walked in.

"Finally! We've been waiting for hours!" Sakura yelled, knocking her two teammates out of their thoughts.

Ninja academy, roof

Now, I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves." The jonin said as he was sitting on the fence in front of the three genin.

"Like what?" Sakura asked.

"You know, the usual. You're likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies. Things like that." The jonin said.

"Help us out here, coach. You go first. Show us how it's done." Naruto said.

"That's right… after all, you're a complete stranger to us… a mystery." Sakura said.

"Oh… me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes! My dreams for the future are none of your business… but anyway, I have lots of hobbies…" Kakashi said.

"Hey… he said a lot, but all we really learned was his name." Sakura whispered to her two teammates.

"Now, it's your turn. Starting with you on the right." Kakashi said.

"Me, right? My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen! What I like even better is when Iruka-sensei treats me to ramen at the Ichiraku ramen stand! What I hate is the three minute wait after I pour the boiling water." Naruto said.

'_He appears to have nothing more on his mind than ramen…'_ Kakashi thought before he noticed a triangular shaped mark on Naruto's right hand that started glowing.

"My dream is to one day become Hokage. And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!" Naruto said as the mark glowed before said glow faded away and no one but Kakashi had noticed it.

'_Well, hasn't he turned out interesting… but what was that glow? Could it be that…? No, that's just an old myth, but either way I'll have to check it out later!'_ Kakashi thought.

"My hobbies are pranks and practical jokes, I guess." Naruto finished.

"Next!" Kakashi said.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see that it matters, considering there is almost nothing I do like. It seems pointless to talk about "dreams"… that's just a word…" Sasuke said and a mark that was similar to Naruto's started glowing on his right hand, but once again only Kakashi noticed it "… but what I do have is determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there's someone I have sworn to kill."

'_He is so cool!'_ Sakura thought.

'_Sure hope it's not me…' _Naruto thought.

'…_I suspected as much…' _Kakashi thought before saying "And finally, the young lady…"

"I am Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing is… well it's not a thing, it's a person. A boy… and that boy is…" Sakura said while blushing as she looked towards Sasuke "Uh… let's move on to my dream." Now she started blushing even more "I hate NARUTO!"

"WHAT?" Naruto said.

"My hobbies are…" Sakura said as she looked towards Sasuke.

'_It sounds as though young girls are more interested in love than Ninjutsu…'_ Kakashi thought before saying "Enough. I believe we all understand one-another. Formal training begins tomorrow."

"Yes, sir! What will our duties be?" Naruto said as he gave a salute while thinking '_Our first real shinobi mission!'_

"Our first project involves only the members of this team." Kakashi said.

"WHAT? What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Survival exercises." Kakashi said.

"Survival exercises?" Naruto asked.

"But why would that be a mission? Our school days were full of survival training!" Sakura said.

"But you'll have to survive… against me. it won't be your typical practice." Kakashi said.

"Well, then, what kind of practice will it be?" Naruto asked and Kakashi chuckled.

"What are you laughing about, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that if I told you, you'd chicken out." Kakashi said.

"Chicken out…? Why?" Naruto asked.

"Of the 27 members of your graduation class, only 9 will actually be accepted as genin. The other 18 must go back for more training. The test we are about to perform has a 66% rate of failure." Kakashi explained and all three genin gulped.

"Ha, ha, ha! See? You're chickening out already!" Kakashi said.

"That sucks! We have been through hell! What about our graduation test?" Naruto yelled.

"Oh! We wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show true potential." Kakashi said.

"Say what?" Naruto yelled.

"In any event, we'll meet tomorrow morning on training field 3 so that I can evaluate each of your skills and weaknesses. Bring all of your ninja tools and weapons. And don't have breakfast beforehand… unless you enjoy throwing up." Kakashi said.

'_No way will I let this set me back. I'll kick Kakashi-sensei's ass! Then I'll get some respect! Yeah!'_ Naruto thought as Kakashi walked towards them and gave each of them a paper form.

"The details of your assignment are in this handout. Memorize it and don't be late!" Kakashi said.

"Throw up? How hard is this exercise going to be?" Sakura yelled.

Training field 3 a.k.a memorial stone training field, the next day

"Good morning, class!" Kakashi said as he entered the training field.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.

Kakashi then put an alarm clock down on the middle one of the three tree stumps that was in the clearing.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon." He said before taking two bells out of his weapons pouch "I have here two small bells. Your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails doesn't get any lunch." He then pointed at the tree stump as he continued "Instead, you will be tied to that tree stump, so I can eat your lunch in front of you."

"So that's why you wanted us to go without breakfast!" Naruto said as his, Sasuke's and Sakura's stomachs growled.

"All you need is just one bell… apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, one of you is definitely headed for the stump. And whoever that is will be the first of you to fail. One of you is on your way back to school… and disgrace. You may, if you choose, use shuriken. Attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance." Kakashi said before tying the bells to his jonin vest.

"Bu-but that's so dangerous!" Sakura said.

"Ready, steady, GO!" Kakashi said and all three genin shunshined away.

"The basis of all shinobi arts is to become invisible, eradicate yourself." Kakashi said as he looked around before thinking '_All three of them are well hidden…'_

With Naruto

Naruto was hiding behind a tree, trying to figure out what to do when that voice suddenly returned.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me, there's a great evil approaching and the world…"** Naruto looked around, not noticing the fading glow that came from the mark on his right hand before said mark vanished.

'_There's that voice again, but what's it talking about? What evil, and what does it have to do with me?'_ Naruto thought.

With Sasuke

Sasuke was hiding on a branch near the top of a tree where he had a pretty good view of the training field, but then that voice appeared again.

"**Sasuke-kun… ware… kness…"** The voice said and the raven-head looked around, trying to find its source, even though he knew that there weren't anyone there.

'_However that is, what the hell is she trying to tell me?'_ Sasuke thought, he had already figured out that however it was, she was always saying the same sentence and each time it became a little clearer.

With Kakashi

The jonin was trying to figure out where the three genin were, but he didn't have to wonder about it for too long because Naruto suddenly just jumped from his hiding place to face his sensei head-on.

"It's time for the match to begin! Let's make it a real match, worthy of the greatest warriors!" The blond genin yelled.

"You may be thinking of the wrong kind of match." Kakashi said.

Unknown location

In a bright room where three women – or to be more precise two women and one girl that didn't seem to be any older than Naruto – looking into a small pond that showed what was currently happening at the training field.

"**What an idiot, attacking him head-on like that! And he calls himself a shinobi?" **The one with red hair said.

"**But you must admit, he does have courage!"** The one with blue hair said.

"**Why'd you think I chose him?" **The one with green hair said as she sat down and looked down at the blond.

"**Have you been able to contact your chosen yet?"** The one with red hair asked as she looked at her blue-haired sister.

"**No, there's something that's always on her mind, clouding out all else… something about a boy."** The one with blue her said.

"**Heh, typical fangirls, you should've chosen someone else."** The one with red hair said before noticing the dreamy look that was in the green-haired girl's eyes **"What? Have you fallen for your chosen?"**

"**What makes you think that?"** The green-haired girl yelled as she stood up with a blush on her face that would give Hinata a run for her money.

"**The way you were looking at him was a BIG giveaway!" **The one with red hair said with her arms crossed and her eyes closed while shrugging.

"**Well, at least I don't go around, picking up random people just to satisfy my own personal needs!"** The green-haired girl yelled at her older sister.

"**You'd need to get laid a little more often, it might do you some good." **The red-head said.

"**Just keep up arguing, you two. I'm heading over to Taki for a while!" **The one with blue hair said as she walked out of the room.

"**Taki? Why there?" **The green-haired girl asked.

"**Isn't it obvious? She's going to have a little talk with that overgrown fish of a God!"** The red-head said.

"**She's going to meet Jabu-kun? I haven't seen him since the Year of Juubi!"** The green-haired girl said. **(A/N: In case you're wondering, the Year of Juubi is what the Gods call the year when Juubi destroyed the kingdom of Hyrule.)**

Memorial stone training field

"All right! That's it!" Naruto yelled as he charged at the jonin, preparing to punch him. But when he punched, Kakashi was suddenly behind him with his book in between his hands and apparently forming the tora hand sign.

"Showing your back so many times is very poor Ninjutsu… dobe." Kakashi said.

'_He's using his hands to make the tora sign! But he couldn't be! It's too advanced Ninjutsu to use against Naruto!'_ Sakura thought from where she was hiding.

'_Impossible… now he's making the sign of flames. That damned teacher wasn't fooling around.'_ Sasuke thought.

"Naruto! Get out of there! You'll be killed!" Sakura yelled, giving up her hiding place.

"What?" Naruto asked as he looked towards where Sakura was.

"Too late." Kakashi said before preparing for the technique "Konohagakure no sato's most secret and most sacred technique! Sennen Goroshi!" And he thrusted his fingers up Naruto's butt and sent the blond genin flying away, holding his rear end.

Unknown location

"**Ouch, that looks like it must've hurt!" **The green-haired girl said as she rubbed her rear end.

"**Okay. I didn't expect him to do that…!" **The red-head said, making a mental note of copying that move for future conveniences.

Memorial stone training field

"That's supposed to be Ninjutsu? What kind of "sacred technique" is that? Looks more like he just showed something right up Naruto's butt!" Sakura whispered to herself.

"Huh! They're both buffoons!" Sasuke said just before Naruto landed in a nearby river.

'_That kind of strength isn't fair play! How are we supposed to beat him? There's no way a genin can beat a jonin on his own!'_ Sakura thought.

'_Crap! Not like this. This isn't how this is gonna go!' _Naruto thought as he got two shuriken and threw them out of the water and towards Kakashi-sensei, but said jonin easily caught them while reading his book.

'_I will not back down!'_ Naruto thought as he made a hand sign and the mark on his right hand became visible and started glowing.

Naruto suddenly came out of the water, coughing. The mark didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi though.

"Well? What's the hold-up? Get one of these bells by lunch, or you'll have no lunch!" Kakashi said, still reading his book.

"Duh! I know that!" Naruto yelled as he looked up.

"You claim to want to become Hokage, but you've already run out of steam." Kakashi said.

"Crap! Crap! Crap! I can fight no matter how hungry I am! I just wasn't ready, that's all!" Naruto yelled.

"So learn to get ready. Don't they say first chance favors the prepared mind?" Kakashi said while walking away, but suddenly came several Naruto's up from the water and they went straight for the jonin.

"My specialty! Kage Bunshin no jutsu! Get ready! Now you face a lot more than just one of me!" Naruto yelled.

Unknown location

"**YEAH! Naruto-kun, you show him who's best!" **The green-haired girl cheered.

"**You do know that Kakashi knows the Kage Bunshin too, don't you?" **The red-head said while she sweatdropping.

"**So? He still won't beat my Naruto-kun!" **The green-haired girl said.

'_**I swear, she and Naruto-kun seem to have the exact same personality. No wonder she loves him.'**_ The red-head thought as she looked down at the pond, though she was a little more interested in what Sasuke-kun was doing, or rather not doing, considering that he was just sitting there.

Memorial stone training field

'_One, two, three… eight distinct bodies! What technique is he using?' _Sasuke thought.

'_They're not illusions! Every one is solid!' _Sakura thought.

"Not illusions, but actual multiple flesh-and-blood bodies! But at your level you couldn't be strong enough to keep this up for more than a minute! You talk a good game, but you're still only Naruto! You're a one-trick pony who hasn't got what it takes to win!" Kakashi said before he suddenly felt something coming from behind, and Naruto jumped onto the jonin's back.

"Heh-heh-heh. Nice to see your back, sensei." Naruto said as two of his clones grabbed Kakashi's legs to hold the jonin in place and another clone jumped into the air, preparing to punch Kakashi as he came down "I isolated one of my Bunshins, sent it out of the water posing as me. While I circled around, behind you!"

"Here's payback for what you did to me! This must be hard for you, so I'll go easy. One good hit is all I want." The Naruto that was preparing to punch the jonin said.

'_Wow! Naruto's good!' _Sakura thought.

"He used the art of misdirection, feinting to distract the enemy before he struck somewhere else!" Sasuke said.

"Relax! I told you, I'm only gonna hit you once!" Naruto yelled just before he punched… Naruto? Apparently Kakashi had used Kawarimi to switch places with one of Naruto's clones.

Naruto then – thinking that Kakashi-sensei had used Henge no jutsu to transform into one of the clones – dispelled the clones to see that there was no one there other than him.

As Naruto looked around, he noticed a bell lying by a tree and the blond genin ran towards the tree.

"Hee-hee-hee-hee. He must have been pretty flustered to drop one." Naruto said.

Unknown location

"**No, Naruto-kun don't. It's a trap."** The green haired girl yelled as she hit the pond, making the water splash.

Memorial stone training field

As Naruto approached the bell, something that no one had expected happened. The ground around the bell, suddenly blew up, sending dirt in all directions and Naruto fell down on his back.

"W-what…?" Was all he could say.

Unknown location

"**Oops, I didn't mean to do that." **The girl said.

'_**You need to get your powers more under control, girl…!'**_ The red-head thought with a deadpanned expression on her face.

Memorial stone training field

"What the hell just happened?" Naruto yelled.

'_Okay, I didn't expect that to happen.' _Kakashi thought from his hiding place.

'_Of course it's a trap, but even more troubling, Kakashi didn't drop his guard even once during the fight with Naruto.'_ Sasuke thought.

'_There has to be some way to beat him, but how? There's no way genin like us can take him on unless we work together…!'_ Sakura thought and unknown to her, a small triangular mark appeared on her right hand.

Unknown location

The woman with blue hair walked down a staircase that seemed to go on forever when she suddenly stopped as she sensed something.

'_**She's finally brushed aside the thoughts of that boy. Now I can contact her at last.'**_ She thought.

Memorial stone training field

"**Sakura-chan… wisdom…"** Sakura looked around, trying to find out where the voice had come from, but she didn't see anyone.

'_What was that voice…? I don't have time to worry about that now.'_ Sakura thought as she tried to come up with a plan '_How can a genin beat a jonin? The answer's easy, they can't. So how are we gonna beat Kakashi-sensei… hmmm. The best way would be to work together, but since there's only two bells, that means that one of us will have to sacrifice himself for the others.'_

Sakura then looked around to see if she could see any of the others from where she was '_The only one that I can see from here is Naruto, but if I go and get him, Kakashi-sensei'll spot me for sure.'_ She then looked in her weapons pouch to see if she found anything that could be of use and she pulled out… two smoke bombs '_Of course. I can go out there to get Naruto, then use these smoke bombs to get away!'_

Naruto got up on his feet and looked down where the bell was still lying and was about to go and get it when Sakura suddenly came, threw a couple of smoke bombs down on the ground, grabbed Naruto and used the smoke as cover as they ran into the bushes.

'_Hmmm, impressive. It's seems that at least one of them is starting to understand what this drill is all about, but do they have enough time?' _Kakashi thought as he looked towards the alarm clock to see that there was only half-an-hour left.

With Naruto and Sakura

"What's the big idea Sakura-chan? I almost had a bell." Naruto yelled.

"That was a trap Naruto, and you almost fell for it!" Sakura yelled.

"A trap?" Naruto said.

"Yes, now be quiet, we need to find Sasuke-kun before Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said.

"Huh? What do we need him for?" Naruto asked.

"We need to work together if we want to get any of the bells." Sakura said.

"Work together? But there are only two bells." Naruto said.

"Exactly, and that's why you're gonna sacrifice your chance of becoming a genin, this year, so that I can become one." Sakura said seductively while winking at him.

"Okay, whatever you say Sakura-chan." Naruto said.

Unknown location

"**Wow, that blond idiot really can't refuse what that girl tells him, no matter what it is."** The red-head said before she suddenly felt a wave of killing-intent and she looked down on her younger sister, who seemed to be getting quite mad.

"**Hey, calm down there. No need to get jealous."** She tried to calm the girl down, but it didn't work and the girl lifted her right hand into the air as a green flame appeared in it.

"**Die, bitch!" **She said in a poisonous tone before throwing the flame down into the pond.

Memorial stone training field

"Hey, do you hear that?" Naruto asked before he and Sakura looked up to see what appeared to be a meteorite fall down towards them and they jumped out of the way just in time and the meteorite hit the ground where Sakura had just been standing.

"Okay, that was unexpected." Sakura said.

"I guess there must be a God that doesn't like you or something!" Naruto said, having no idea of how right he was.

"What, I can't think of any reason why there would be a God that doesn't like me." Sakura said.

Unknown location

'_**I can think of a lot of reasons, sweetie…'**_ The red-head thought, having heard what Sakura had said.

Memorial stone training field

'_What the hell was that?' _Sasuke thought as he looked in the direction that the meteorite had crashed before shunshining to check it out.

When he reached it, he was surprised to see Naruto and Sakura standing there and Sakura was holding a stone in her hands.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"A meteorite came down and almost killed us." Sakura said before said meteorite was suddenly enshrouded by green flames and she dropped the space-rock. As it landed on the ground however, the flames vanished and the rock rolled over to Naruto who picked it up.

"Careful Naruto, it might start burning again." Sakura said.

"Hey, you're the one that however God dropped this on us doesn't like, so I doubt that." Naruto said before green flames appeared on the rock and seemed to engrave something before vanishing.

"F-A-R-O-R-E." Naruto read.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"It's written here. See?" Naruto said as he showed the other two genins, but just then, the alarm sounded.

A short while later, Naruto was tied to the middle tree stump while Sasuke was sitting to his right and Sakura was sitting to his left as their stomachs growled.

"Oh, my. Listen to all the little stomachs growl. By the way you three, I have an announcement about this exercise. None of you need to worry any more about being sent back to the ninja academy." Kakashi said and Naruto and Sakura started hopping in joy, well Naruto would have been hopping if he weren't tied to the tree stump.

"This rocks! It means all three of us…" Naruto yelled but he was cut off by Kakashi-sensei.

"…are hopeless. More schooling would be pointless. None of you will ever be shinobi!" Kakashi said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Give it up. Not one of the three of you will ever be a ninja!" Kakashi said.

"What do you mean "give up"? Give me a break! Okay, so maybe none of us got our hands on one of your stupid bells, but why the hell should we quit over that?" Naruto yelled.

"Because not one of you has what it takes! Oh, and I'll be taking this too!" Kakashi said as he held up the meteorite.

"Hey, you give that back!" Naruto yelled.

"Alright then, I'll give you one more chance to succeed and if you'll do I'll give it back, but if you don't, you'll never see this rock again and you'll never have a shot at ever becoming a shinobi." Kakashi said.

"WHAT?" Naruto yelled.

"But this time it'll be a lot more difficult than our last little game with the bells. If you're prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes. But no sharing with Naruto. He goes hungry." Kakashi said.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"If either of you feeds him, you fail the test right there. My word is law. Do you understand?" Kakashi said, ignoring the blond's question before he shunshined away.

"Hey, this'll be a breeze. I can go without lunch, no problem." Naruto yelled as his stomach rumbled.

Unknown location

"**Watching this is making me hungry." **The green-haired girl said as she rubbed her rumbling stomach before snapping her fingers and a bowl of ramen appeared in her lap **"Now, that's what I call "instant ramen"."**

"**Itadakemasu." **She said before picking up the chop-sticks and started eating the ramen, or to be more precise, devouring it, proving that even Gods need food.

Memorial stone training field

"Here." Sasuke said as he held his bento box up in front of Naruto, surprising both of his teammates.

"But Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei told us…" Sakura said, but the Uchiha cut her off.

"I'm not worried. He's probably miles away by now. And we'll all need our strength if we're going to work together to get those bells. You're no good to me if you're just going to be a liability." Sasuke said and after thinking a little, Sakura offered the blond her own lunch.

'_Sakura-chan…' _Naruto thought before grinning. What none of them were aware of though was that Kakashi was hiding behind a nearby tree.

"Thanks." Naruto said just before a large puff of smoke appeared in front of them.

"What the heck?" Sakura yelled just before Kakashi came out of the smoke.

"YOU... pass!" He said as he stopped in front of them, giving them an eye-smile.

"We pass? But why?" Sakura asked.

"You three have just taken a giant step forward." Kakashi said.

"Ummm… how?" Sakura asked.

"Up until now almost all any of you have done is listen unquestionably to everything I say like mindless little drones. A true shinobi looks underneath the underneath. In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are lower than garbage. However, those who do not care for and support their fellows are even lower than that!" Kakashi said.

'_That's kind of cool.'_ Naruto thought.

"This exercise is now concluded. You all pass!" Kakashi said while giving a thumb up.

"Now we go home, I have a little story to tell you three." Kakashi said.

"A story?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it's more of a legend, really." Kakashi said and the three genin listened intently to what their sensei said.

"Long ago, the three Goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore created the world and all the creatures that live in it. And after they were done, they left, however they also left something behind. A sacred triangle called the "Triforce" and afterwards there was a time of piece, but one day there was an evil man that tried to seize the Triforce for himself, but he didn't get all of it." Kakashi said before he was interrupted by Naruto.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" He asked.

"Well, it is said that if you touch the Triforce then you're greatest desire will come to pass. But when that man touched it, it split into three pieces, the Triforce of Courage, the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Power." Kakashi said.

"Cool, what happened next?" Naruto yelled with anticipation.

"The Triforce of Power went into the man and a mark of the Triforce appeared on his right hand. The Triforce of Wisdom came to a noble Princess and the same mark appeared on her hand. And finally the Triforce of Courage came to a boy that lived in a forest and he got the same mark on his hand. However, not satisfied with just one piece, the evil man kidnapped the Princess, in order to get her piece as well. But then the boy showed up, wielding a sacred blade, and he cut the man down and saved the kingdom." Kakashi said.

"Sounds more like a fairy-tail to me." Sakura said.

"Perhaps, but there's a good chance that it's true."

"And how's that?" Naruto asked.

"I'm sure you'll find out someday." Kakashi said before continuing "But I'm not done with the story quite yet. The Triforce pieces seemed to be passed on from generation to generation much like a Kekkei Genkai, and each century the cycle of good vs evil continued with the descendants of the hero, Princess and villain. But something about 2.000 years ago happened and the cycle was apparently broken."

"You think that that story's real, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I didn't think it was real when I first heard it, but something happened a while ago that made me change my mind." Kakashi said.

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"I don't feel like telling you." Kakashi said before untying Naruto and giving him the space-rock "That's all for today, team 7. Your duties will commence tomorrow!"

The three genin then started walking away, but Naruto was stopped as Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Can I see your hand?" The jonin asked and Naruto held up his right hand and Kakashi looked at it.

'_Hmmm, strange, there's no sign of that mark I saw earlier.'_ Kakashi thought.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"What, oh, it's nothing. Just keep on going now." Kakashi said before he shunshined away.

Unknown location

The green-haired girl was currently on her 100th bowl of ramen and she was still showing no signs of stopping.

"**Do you have to eat it like that? You're making me sick."** The red-head said.

"**I can't help it. Ramen's the best. Truly a food made by the Gods. I am the one who invented it after all." **The green-haired girl said and the red-head just sweatdropped.

Chapter preview

Naruto "No, no, no. I want something more challenging, where I can test my skills."

Kakashi "Well, well. If it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left Kirigakure no sato!"

Zabuza "Sharingan no Kakashi, I presume? If it wouldn't be much trouble, could you surrender the old man?"

**Farore "Naruto-kun, hear me, There's a great evil approaching and the world needs a hero…"**

Zabuza "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: The Demon of Kiri, Momochi Zabuza."

Character status

Naruto: Level: 2

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 4

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan. (Not unlocked yet)

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 1

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Triforce: Wisdom.

Kakashi: Level: 45

Techniques: Raikiri, Magen: Narakumi, Doton: Shinju zanshu, Doton: Doryuheki, Doton: Moguragakure, Fuja hoin, Katon: Goukakyo, Genjutsu: Sharingan, Raiton: Kage Bunshin, Taju Kage Bunshin, Sennen Goroshi, Kage Bunshin, Kuchiyose, Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan.

**A/N: Before you ask, yes Goddess Farore's in love with her chosen, why'd you think she chose such a young body? Also if you're wondering what Farore meant when she said "Well, at least I don't go around, picking up random people just to satisfy my own personal needs!" in this story Din's pretty much the female version of Zeus in the sense that she is a mass rapist just like Zeus.**


	3. The demon of Kiri, Momochi Zabuza

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Waves arc**

**A/N: This chapter, you'll be introduced to some pretty powerful OCs of mine, three to be exact.**

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.' _Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.' **_**Biju and God thought**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, except for my OCs.

Chapter 2: The Demon of Kiri, Momochi Zabuza

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked at the space-rock that had the name of one of the three great Goddesses on it as he remembered the story that Kakashi-sensei had told them.

"The Triforce of Power went into the man and a mark of the Triforce appeared on his right hand. The Triforce of Wisdom came to a noble Princess and the same mark appeared on her hand. And finally the Triforce of Courage came to a boy that lived in a forest and he got the same mark on his hand."

Naruto then looked at his right hand, wondering why Kakashi-sensei had wanted to have a look at it, but then a glowing triangular mark appeared out of nowhere and that strange voice returned.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me, there's a great ev… approa… world… ro…"** This time Naruto seemed more interested in the mark rather than the voice, but just as quickly as the mark had appeared it vanished.

Konoha, team 7 meeting place

Later in the day, team 7 met up at the place where they usually met before going to the Hokage tower to receive a mission, though you'd have to wonder why the three genin always came on time even though they knew that their sensei would be several hours late.

Sakura looked over at her blond teammate, he seemed pretty deep in thought, which was pretty unusual for him, especially considering that he didn't really think all that much, and just as she was about to ask him what was up, Kakashi-sensei finally appeared.

"Sorry I'm late, but I ran into this old woman who needed some help carrying her bags." Kakashi said.

"Yeah, right. You were probably off somewhere reading that book of yours." Sakura said and Kakashi sweatdropped.

Sasuke looked surprised over at Naruto, he'd expect the blond to say something too, but Naruto just stood there as though Kakashi still hadn't arrived yet.

'_Something's definitely up with him.'_ Sasuke thought as Naruto walked over to their sensei.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, could I talk to you alone for a few minutes?" Naruto asked.

"Sure." Kakashi said and the two walked off, now Sasuke was really curious.

"Hey, Sakura. Follow me." Sasuke said and the two of them walked in the direction that Kakashi and Naruto had walked in before they hid themselves in a bush.

"Sasuke-kun, what are…" Sakura whispered, but Sasuke hushed her before she could finish the sentence as he listened intently to the conversation between Kakashi and Naruto.

"Naruto, what is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Remember that story you told us a while back?" Naruto said.

"Yeah, what about it?" Kakashi asked, though he did have an idea of where this was going.

"Well, earlier today I saw some weird mark appear on my hand." Naruto said and Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened.

"What did it look like?" Kakashi asked.

"It looked like three triangles that were in a triangular formation. And all three triangles were glowing, though the one to the right had more intense glow than the others." Naruto said.

"Hmmm, I see." Kakashi said before thinking '_That sounds just like how the legends describes the Triforce.'_

"May I have a look at your hand?" Kakashi asked.

"Sure, but I doubt that you'll see anything." Naruto said as he held out his hand so that his sensei could examine it.

'_Hmmm. Interesting, I always thought that the mark would be permanent like a tattoo or something, but it seems that it only appears under special circumstances.' _Kakashi thought as he let go of the hand before saying "Did anything else happen when the mark appeared?"

"Not much, only that I heard this voice in my head." Naruto said, this caught Sasuke and Sakura's attention.

"A voice in your head?" Kakashi asked and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it sounded like a girl, but I don't think that it's related to the mark, I'm hearing voices all the time, as long as I can remember!" Naruto said and now Sasuke's eyes widened.

'_Naruto's been hearing voices his whole life too? So I'm not the only one going crazy after all.'_ Sasuke thought, not wanting to believe that he actually had something in common with the blond.

"Yet that voice appeared at the same time as the mark?" Kakashi asked and Naruto nodded "Have you ever looked at your hand while you heard that voice before?"

"No, never." Naruto said.

"Well, anyway. Let's get back to the others, they're probably waiting for us." Kakashi said and they walked back to where Sasuke and Sakura should be. Luckily, the raven-head and the pinkette had enough sense to hurry back there so that Kakashi wouldn't get suspicious.

Hokage tower

"No, no, no. I want something more challenging, where I can test my skills." Naruto yelled after they had been assigned to another D-rank mission.

'_He's got a point.'_ Sasuke thought.

'_Oh, he is such a pain.' _Sakura thought.

'_Be grateful for what you can get.' _Kakashi thought while sighing.

"Don't be a fool. You're only a beginner. Everyone starts out doing grunt work. It's where you get experience, so you can work your way up to the bigger things." Iruka yelled.

"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action?" Naruto yelled and his sensei hit him on the head.

"Naruto, that's enough. Knock it off." Kakashi said.

"Apparently Naruto needs an explanation of just what these duties are…" The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen said before explaining how mission assignments work.

"Are you listening?" Hiruzen yelled when he noticed that Naruto wasn't even paying attention.

"I-I'm sorry." Kakashi said while scratching the back of his hair.

"I don't want to hear it. All jiji ever does is apologize to me and then give me a lecture. But it's not fair. There's more to me than the troublemaking screw-up jiji thinks I am!" Naruto yelled and Kakashi sighed.

'_I am going to be in so much trouble for this later…'_ The silver-haired jonin thought.

"Very well. Since you put it that way, I will permit you to attempt a C-ranked mission. The mission will be the protection of a certain individual." Hiruzen said and Kakashi was shocked.

"All right! Who is it? Some great lord? The daimyo? A Princess?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Compose yourself. I'll perform the introductions straightaway. Please invite him in." Hiruzen said and the door opened and in came a man that was holding a sake bottle in his hand.

"What's going on here? They look like a bunch of wet-nosed brats." The man said as he drank some of the sake before continuing "Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke right? You kids aren't really ninja, are you?"

"Who'd you mean? Which midget? Which imbeci…" Naruto said as he looked at Sasuke and Sakura before noticing that they were both taller than him and he yelled "I'll kill him!"

"Wrong. No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect." Kakashi said as he held back the blond.

"I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of ultimate renown. Until I am in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll all be expected to protect me… even if it costs you your lives!" The man said.

Tanigakure no sato (village hidden in the valley)

The village of Tani was hidden deep within a valley just outside of the Land of Wind. Long ago there were two villages, one consisting only of women and the other consisting only of men, but since then the two villages had joined together.

A man in a red robe that nearly covered his entire body walked down a street towards the Tanikage tower.

As he entered the tower, he passed a young boy that couldn't be more than 12 years old with green hair, green eyes and he wore a green robe as well as a green Hitai-ate with a gold forehead protector that had the symbol of the Triforce on it, the mark of Tani.

"Ah, Ventus-kun. I haven't seen you in a while." The man said.

"I've been away on an A-ranked mission with my team, Agahnim-sama!" Ventus said.

"Ah yes, that's right. You graduated from the ninja academy not too long ago." Agahnim said.

"Was there anything else?" The boy asked.

"No, not really." Agahnim said before walking further into the tower and the boy walked out. Agahnim walked up some stairs until he reached a door and he knocked on it.

"Come in." Came the voice from the Tanikage office and Agahnim walked in.

The office was more like a throne room, really. The room was wide in a rectangular shape and on the other side was a man sitting on a throne with a model of the Triforce above him.

The man had black armor, red hair, a beard **(A/N: Like the one he's got in Twilight Princess.)** and a gold Hitai-ate with the Tani insignia on it.

"The only reason you would have to disturb me is if you've got news about either Uchiha Sasuke-kun or Uchiha Itachi-kun." The man said in a commanding tone as Agahnim kneeled before him.

"I have news on Uchiha Sasuke-kun, great Ganondorf-sama." Agahnim said.

"Tell me." Ganondorf said.

"As you know, Sasuke-kun has recently graduated from the ninja academy in Konoha. Earlier today he was assigned to his first C-rank mission and will be out of the village for quite some time." Agahnim said.

"Hmmm, I see. This would seem to be the best time to strike, and see if that Uchiha brat possesses my Triforce of Power." Ganondorf said.

"There is a problem however." Agahnim said.

"A problem? Like what?" Ganondorf asked.

"It seems that one of his teammates is the Kyubi Jinchuriki and their sensei has been confirmed as Sharingan no Kakashi." Agahnim said.

"Sharingan no Kakashi, you say? That could pose a problem, even our strongest ANBU would have a hard time against him. But I wouldn't worry too much about the Kyubi brat, there's no way that he could have mastered his Biju's chakra yet, I bet he doesn't even know that he is a Jinchuriki." Ganondorf said.

"What should we do? Ganondorf-sama?" Agahnim asked.

"Send out Vaati-san's team 7 to keep an eye on them during their mission, but they are not to engage. Make sure that they understand that, especially Flare-kun." Ganondorf said.

"As you command Ganondorf-sama." Agahnim said before he stood up and walked out of the room to find the Wind Sorcerer, Vaati and his team.

Land of Fire

As Team 7 walked down a road in the Land of Fire, they remained oblivious to the fact that they were being watched by two chunin level ninja.

"Um, Tazuna-san…?" Sakura said, getting the old man's attention.

"What now?" Tazuna asked.

"You come from the Land of Waves, right?" Sakura asked.

"What of it?" Tazuna asked before Sakura looked at her sensei.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei, are there ninja in that country too?" Sakura asked.

"No. not in the Land of Waves. But, as a general rule, even with all the differences that exist in local customs and culture, most other lands have their own hidden village where ninja clan resides. For most of the countries on this continent, the ninja villages serve as the military force. They protect their own people and handle the on-going relations with neighboring countries! Yet, the villages do not answer to the rulers of their native countries. Instead, they are on an equal footing with the government. In the case of very small island nations where an invasion would be difficult to mount, a ninja village is regarded as unnecessary. Among the various ninja villages – in particular – those located the Lands of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind and Earth are large and their strength is immense. Those are called the "Five Great Lands of Shinobi". They are also the only places where the shinobi leader calls himself a Kage. Those legendary leaders, Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage are known to ninja everywhere as the Gokage, the ultimate commanders of tens of thousands of shinobi throughout the world." Kakashi explained.

"Really? Hokage-sama is so amazing!" Sakura said, but her inner self had other thoughts **"I don't see what's so great about the old fart who's always lecturing us."**

"You obviously don't really think so." Kakashi said before he patted Sakura on the head while giving an eye-smile "There's nothing to worry about. You won't face any duels with ninja from other clans while you're handling C-rank missions."

"So I don't have to worry about encountering any foreign shinobi?" Sakura asked.

"Of course not. Ha-ha-ha." Kakashi reassured her and Tazuna looked down on the ground and gulped, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke.

Unknown location

The red-haired woman and the green-haired girl were still looking down on team 7 through the pond.

"**Just too bad for them that the old guy lied about their mission."** The red-head said in an amused tone.

"**I still think that we could have done something to save the Land of Waves from that mad-man Gato."** The girl said in a sad tone.

"**Heh, you know we can't do that, we're not allowed to interfere in the business of inferior beings. You know that, don't you?" **The red-head said.

"**I know, but there has to be something we could do." **The girl said.

"**Don't worry about it, they've hired ninja to do the job. By the end of the month, Gato'll be history."** The red-head said.

"**Maybe, but I'm still worried about Naruto-kun and the others. Look."** The girl said as she waved her hand over the pond and it showed a desert landscape with four figures running through the desert.

Land of Wind

One of them had purple hair with a bang that went over his right eye, he had pale skin, wore black robes, a black cap and he had a purple Tani Hitai-ate with a gold forehead protector on his forehead.

Another one had spiky, red hair, he had red eyes, wore red robes and he had a red Tani Hitai-ate with a gold forehead protector on his forehead.

The third one was the only girl of the four, she had long blue hair that went down to her mid-back, she had blue eyes, wore blue robes and had a blue Tani Hitai-ate with a gold forehead protector around her neck.

The last of the group was obviously Ventus.

"Heh-heh. The Triforce of Power, I can't wait till we face its wielder!" The red-head exclaimed.

"We're on a reconnaissance mission, baka. In other words, we're not to engage." The girl yelled as Ventus noticed that their sensei tensed.

"Vaati-sensei, what is it?" He asked.

"Something's approaching." Vaati said in a calm tone without looking at Ventus.

Suddenly, the sand around them shot up, attempting to engulf them, but Vaati quickly grabbed the red-head while Ventus grabbed the girl and they jumped up into the air, much higher than what gravity would normally allow and they slowly landed on top of the dunes that had just tried to eat them.

"Show yourself, Ichibi!" Vaati demanded as he and Ventus put down the other two.

Four figures then came into view, one of them had a turban-like head gear with a sheet hanging from it on the left side, two red marks on his right cheek, a normal Suna chunin/jonin uniform and a Suna Hitai-ate on his forehead.

Another one had brown hair, green eyes with black rings around them and the kanji for love over his left eye. He wore a black full body suit with t-shirt-like sleeves, ¾-length legs, and an open neck. With this, he wore a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips, and a wide leather band system over the left shoulder and right side of his hips. With this leather band, he carried around a gourd that was on his back. He also had his Suna Hitai-ate wrapped around the band.

The third one wore a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also had a black hood which covered his head completely, and had cat-like ears and his Suna Hitai-ate. He also had an object on his back that was wrapped in bandages.

The only girl of the four had blond hair in four ponytails, she wore purple clothes, her Suna Hitai-ate was around her neck and she had a large fan on her back.

"State your business in the Land of Wind, Tani-nins." The Suna jonin said, the villages of Suna and Tani had long been at eachother's throats, right now they were at peace, but they were still at odds with each other.

"My team is on a mission to the Land of Waves, so we figured it would be faster to cut through the Land of Wind instead of going all the way around." Vaati said.

"I see, then continue on your mission, but be warned if you go anywhere near Suna, we won't hesitate to kill you." The jonin said.

"I understand. But I must ask, why are you so close to the border between our lands with the Ichibi Jinchuriki? If I didn't know any better I could have thought that you were planning to attack our village." Vaati said.

"We were just on our way back from a B-rank mission in the Land of Earth." The jonin said.

"I see, but you still attacked us without warning, and I'm not just gonna let that slide." Vaati said as he extended his right arm and the four Suna-nins tensed as he said "Let me demonstrate what happens to those who attack us Tani-nins."

"Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, prepare yourselves." The jonin said as Temari got her fan off of her back and unfolded it, Gaara opened his gourd and sand started coming out and Kankuro got the object that he had on his back off of his back and put it down on the ground.

"Flare, protect Aqua, she's useless as long as we're in this dry desert." Vaati ordered.

"What, but I wanna fight." The red-head, now identified as Flare protested.

"Listen to Vaati-sensei Flare, someone has to defend Aqua, she's our only means of getting to Waves." Ventus said.

"Argh. A-all right." Flare muttered in defeat.

"Here they come team, get ready!" Vaati said.

Land of Fire

As team 7 walked down the road towards the Land of Waves, Kakashi spotted a puddle on the ground, a puddle? When it hasn't been raining for days?

"**Sasuke-kun beware the darkness…"** A voice in Sasuke's head said.

'_There's that voice again.'_ Sasuke thought and he looked down on his right hand just in time to see the mark vanish '_So the voices and the marks are connected, but could this mean that me and Naruto…?'_

Suddenly came two ninja, each having a gauntlet that connected to the other's gauntlet by a chain. The two quickly before anyone realized it wrapped the chain around Kakashi.

"One little piggy." One of them said just before the chain cut Kakashi to pieces.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled just before the two ninja appeared behind him.

"Two little piggies…" But before they could do anything else, Sasuke jumped into the air and threw a shuriken at the chain, sticking it to a tree before he threw a kunai that went straight through the hole in the shuriken and into the tree's trunk.

'_It won't come lose.'_ One of the two ninja thought just before Sasuke landed with one foot on each of their gauntlets.

Sasuke then grabbed the gauntlets as he kicked the two enemy shinobis in the head, but then the two of them released the chain and ran in opposite directions around Naruto, but as one of them came at the blond, the other ran towards Tazuna while Sasuke landed on the ground.

Suddenly the mark on Naruto's hand appeared and started glowing as he grabbed a kunai from his weapons pouch and blocked the poisonous claws on the enemy's gauntlet before he quickly made a hand sign.

"Oiroke no jutsu." Naruto was then replaced by a beautiful, naked woman and blood came flowing out the ninja's nose as he flew backwards and hit the ground hard as Naruto changed back.

"I knew it was a useful jutsu." Naruto said as he looked down at the knocked-out ninja.

Unknown location

"**Well, I certainly didn't expect him to do that." **The red-head said.

"**Is it over?" **The girl said as she held her hands in front of her face.

"**Yeah, he's turned back into the blond idiot that you love."** The red-head said as her younger sister slowly removed her hands from her face before she looked angry up at her sister as she started emitting a purple light from her body.

"**Did you just call my Naruto-kun an idiot?" **She yelled while pointing an accusing finger at the red-haired woman.

"**Yeah, so what." **The red-head said uninterested as she turned away.

"**Oh, that's it. I'm gonna rip you to shreds, you teme!" **The girl yelled as she stood up and rushed at her sister, but before she knew what had happened, she was lying on the floor on the other side of the room and her sister stood on her left foot while her right leg was extended.

"**Did you forget who's the strongest of us?" **She said with an evil smirk on her face before the green-haired girl looked away angrily with her eyes closed and arms crossed.

Land of Fire

'_Here it comes. I've got to do something… I've… got to.'_ Sakura thought as the remaining enemy ninja came closer to her and Tazuna and she suddenly jumped in front of the old man with a kunai ready "Stand back, sir!"

But then suddenly came Sasuke up in front of her and he quickly went through hand signs.

"Katon: Goukakyo no jutsu." The Uchiha announced the name of his attack and a large fire ball was sent at the unfortunate ninja and he burned to death.

As Naruto walked over to the others the ninja that he had knocked out stood back up on his feet.

"Naruto, behind you." Sasuke yelled and Naruto turned around, but the enemy ninja was already too close for him to dodge or get a kunai to block. But then Kakashi-sensei suddenly appeared and grabbed the ninja before he could touch the blond.

'_Kakashi-sensei! You're… alive!'_ Sakura thought as Sasuke looked towards where Kakashi was standing before he got "killed" only to see pieces of wood.

'_Kawarimi…' _The Uchiha thought.

"Good job, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, though I must say Naruto, that move that you did there was… unusual." Kakashi said.

"It's my own invention. I call it "Oiroke no jutsu", what'd you think?" Naruto said.

"Well, it was certainly unusual, but you shouldn't have turned your back on your opponent, even if he was out-cold." Kakashi said.

"Tazuna-san." Kakashi said as he looked towards the old man.

"Wha-what is it?" Tazuna asked.

"I need to speak with you." Kakashi said before tying the ninja to a tree "Our attackers appeared to be chunin ninja from Kirigakure. They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their own lives."

"How did you know…?" The Kiri-nins asked.

"The sun is out, and it hasn't rained for several days, so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground." Kakashi said.

"If you knew all that, why did you even let those creeps attack you?" Tazuna asked.

"I could have killed them at any time, but I wanted to find out who their real target was." Kakashi said.

"What do you mean by that?" Tazuna asked.

"Were you really the one they were after? Or was it one of us ninja? There has been no word of any shinobi seeking to take your life. The request that was relayed to Hokage-sama was that you have an escort to protect you against any roving bands of thieves and brigands. In any case, it's clear this is more than a B-rank mission. To protect you from ordinary dangers until you complete the bridge you're currently constructing would be a simple thing. But if you expected to be a target of a ninja assault, then it is beyond question that this would have been classified – and priced – as a mission for jonin. You may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for help. As it is, this task falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned." Kakashi said.

"We're not good enough yet to handle something like this, can we quit?" Sakura said.

Land of wind

The three Suna-nins were lying on the sands of the desert, Kankuro and Temari were unconscious with Kankuro's puppet, the Crow lying in a heap of wood and metal next to him, and Temari's fan standing half-buried in the sand. Gaara and the jonin were just barely conscious, with Gaara's sand armor cracked all over his body.

"Wh-who are you?" The jonin asked as he looked up at Vaati.

"I am Vaati of Tanigakure no sato!" Vaati said and the jonin's eyes widened, he'd heard that name before.

"Y-you're Kazemajutsu no Vaati(Vaati, the Wind Sorcerer)?" He asked and Vaati nodded.

"We'll let you live for now, but attack us again and you're dead!" Vaati said before gesturing to his genin and the four of them ran further as though nothing had happened.

Land of Waves, Zabuza's fortress

"Failed? What do you mean, you failed? If you weren't supposed to be the best, I wouldn't have paid top ryo for your skills." A small man with sunglasses and a business suit yelled as he pointed at a man, sitting on a coach in front of him.

The man, sitting on the coach then swung the huge sword that he was holding and pointed it at the smaller man.

"Do stop your whining. There's nothing to worry about. I, with neck-cleaving knife will take the hit by myself." The man said.

"Yessir. But are you sure you really want to? The enemy has hired ninja of tremendous skill. And besides, now that the Oni-brothers have tried and failed, they'll be on guard against further attempts." The small man said.

"Remember to whom you are speaking. I am Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of Kiri!" The man, now identified as Zabuza said.

Land of Waves, ocean

"Wow, this is some fog. I can barely see a thing." Sakura said as she, along with all the others were sitting in a boat on their way over the ocean to the Land of Waves.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute. On the other side of it is the Land of Waves." The man, steering the boat said and shortly after, the bridge came into view.

"Whoa! It's HUGE!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey! Keep it down! This mist'll keep us hidden. But from this point on, we have to turn off our engines and row. We'd be in big trouble if Gato caught us." The man said and everyone went quite as Kakashi recalled what Tazuna had said after the Oni-brothers had been defeated.

Flashback

"Sensei-san, sir…?" Tazuna said as he approached the jonin "Uh… there's something you should know about the request for help I made to your village. As you guessed, this job is more dangerous than you and your students were led to believe. There's a real scary man who wants to see me dead."

"A "real scary" man…? Who is he?" Kakashi asked.

"You've probably heard of him. He's a billionaire in the field of marine transportation. His name is Gato!" Tazuna said.

"You mean… Gato of Gato shipping and transport? THE Gato? They say he's the richest man in the world!" Kakashi said in shock.

"That's the one. On the surface, he looks like a legitimate businessman. The truth is he's a ruthless, murderous criminal who employs gangs and teams of shinobi, and traffics drugs and contraband. He starts out taking over companies… and ends up running entire countries. He lives by every low and vicious trade known to man. It was one year ago… that he set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came under the guise of a business venture. Then the violence began, and in no time at all, he'd take over our entire marine transportation and shipping industry, and we're all under his thumb. Gato now has a stranglehold on all forms of transportation, the lifeblood of an island nation, and a stranglehold on all the wealth. The only thing he has to fear is that which has been underway for some time… the completion of that bridge!" Tazuna explained.

"I see, and as the architect of the bridge and overseer of it's construction, you Tazuna-san, are very much in his way." Sakura said.

"That means, that the ninja who attacked us were working for Gato." Sasuke said.

"But… I still don't understand… if you knew you were a target of a ruthless thug with ninja at his disposal, why didn't you tell us when you asked for our help?" Kakashi asked.

"The Land of Waves isn't a real prosperous land. Even our local lords are poor… and I have no money at all. An elite B-ranked bodyguard would be more than I could afford. But if you all turn away from me now, then I'm as good as dead." Tazuna said.

"But…" Kakashi started, but he got cut off by Tazuna.

"But oh well! It's not your concern! You won't be there to see my daughter and 10 year old grandson cry all day like their hearts are breaking! Oh, and you won't mind if my daughter vows eternal hatred of all the ninja of your village as she lives her life alone! Heck, well, it's not your fault!" He yelled.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. We'll continue to protect you, at least until you return to your country." Kakashi said as he eye-smiled and thought '_This is the worst mission-for-hire of all time.'_

'_Gotcha!' _Tazuna thought.

Flashback end

"We'll be there soon." The man, steering the boat said as they approached a smaller bridge.

"Tazuna-san… so far it looks like we've been overlooked. Just to be on the safe side we'll take an inland waterway through town to a point where we can make landfall under the cover of mangroves." The man said.

"Thank you." Tazuna said before they rowed under the brigde and came out in a waterway that went through a town.

A little while later, they stopped the boat and Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Sakura and Tazuna walked out of the boat and onto land.

"This is as far as I go. Take care of yourself." The man said.

"Thanks for taking such a risk. I shouldn't have asked it." Tazuna said before following the four shinobi as he said "OK! Now, if I can just make it home in one piece."

"Yeah, yeah." Kakashi said before thinking '_There's bound to be another attack, and next time, they won't send chunin. We'll probably face jonin-level ninjas. Could this be any worse?'_

But none of them knew that they were being watched. In the water, not far from where the five had gone in land, the water seemed to have formed into a face, said face then went down below the surface and vanished.

Elsewhere, not far from team 7's location was the Tani team. Vaati stood there patiently along with Ventus, while Flare was obviously tired of waiting and Aqua was kneeling down in front of the water and she was sticking her face under it. Suddenly Aqua pulled her face up, but surprisingly she didn't breathe for air at all.

"FINALLY! Now where are they, so I can beat them up myself?" Flare exclaimed before Aqua punched him into a tree.

"Baka, we're not here to attack them. We're here to see what kind of a threat they pose to Ganondorf-sama!" She yelled.

"Aqua, did you see the Konoha team?" Vaati asked.

"Yes, Vaati-sensei. They – along with their employer – have gone in land and are right now headed towards the old man's house." Aqua said.

"What should we do, sensei?" Ventus asked.

"As we were instructed, to observe." Vaati said.

Land of Waves, forest road

As the group walked down the road they remained oblivious to the ninja that was stalking them from the trees.

'_From what I can see, this group is not equal in skill to the Oni-brothers. Yet, their leader is a shinobi of Konohagakure no sato, and not just any shinobi. It's Sharingan no Kakashi!'_ The ninja, Momochi Zabuza thought as he drew his massive sword.

"Everyone take cover!" Kakashi yelled as he heard something coming towards them and everyone got down on the ground just before a massive sword flew over their heads and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree as Zabuza landed on top of it.

'_That looks like…' _Kakashi thought as he looked up at the missing-nin "Well, well. If it isn't Momochi Zabuza. The kid who ran off and left Kirigakure no sato!"

Unknown location

"**MOMOCHI ZABUZA?"** The green-haired girl yelled in shock.

"**Hmmm… well, would you look at that. Shirtless, strong, badass, handsome and oh, so sexy. What more can I ask for?" **The red-head said as she examined Zabuza.

"**Who's side are you on anyway?" **The girl yelled.

"**Oh, me? I'm on no one's side, just like you should be. I can get my hands on him whether he lives or dies either way. Shini-kun owes me one, after all." **The red-head said. **(A/N: I wish I were lucky enough to have Shinigami owe me one!)**

Land of Waves, forest road

'_And if I have to face him, it had better be…'_ Kakashi thought as he started to pull up his Hitai-ate before saying "…like this. This may be a little rough."

"Sharingan no Kakashi, I presume? If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you surrender the old man?" Zabuza said.

'…"_Sharingan"? What the heck does that mean?' _Naruto thought.

'_The Sharingan?' _Sasuke thought, surprised.

"Assume the manji battle formation! Protect Tazuna-san. All of you, stay out of the fight. That's the kind of teamwork this situation demands." Kakashi said as he continued to pull up his Hitai-ate until his left eye was visible and everyone could see that his left eye was red and had three black tormoe in it. Kakashi then said "Shall we?"

'_Man! What's up with his eye?'_ Naruto thought.

"Ah. To face the legendary Sharingan so early in our acquaintance. This is an honor." Zabuza said.

"You keep calling it a Sharingan. What the heck is it?" Naruto yelled.

"Shinobi who have the Sharingan have mastered a form of ocular Ninjutsu called a Dojutsu. It enables them to penetrate and see the reality behind any illusion or spell, and to reflect the power of the magics they penetrate back on those who cast them! A Sharingan is one of several types used by the masters. And there's more." Sasuke explained.

"Like what?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Heh-heh, exactly. There is indeed more. Most formidable of all is the acuity with which the Sharingan can discern and then duplicate its opponent's greatest skill. When I was an assassin for Kirigakure, I possessed the usual Bingo-book. It had quite the extensive write-up on you. Including a mention of your impressive record. The man who had penetrated and copied over a thousand jutsus. Kakashi the copy-ninja." Zabuza said.

'_But he's… Kakashi-sensei is just… he and old man Hokage are only… are they that amazing?'_ Sakura thought.

'…_But… does it mean… supposed to be unique to the Uchiha clan. Could he be…?' _Sasuke thought.

"Enough. Pleasant as this conversation has been, the time for talk is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man." Zabuza said and the three genin formed the manji formation in front of Tazuna, kunai at the ready "But… Kakashi, it looks like I'm going to have to kill you first."

Zabuza then jumped off the sword, taking it with him and landing on a nearby lake. He stood on the water, holding one hand in front of him and the other was pointing up and both hands have formed half the tora sign.

"Over there!" Naruto yelled upon spotting the missing-nin.

"Is he… walking on water?" Sakura asked.

'_Clever, he's built up a pretty fair concentration of chakra.'_ Kakashi thought.

"The finest of the ninja arts… the Kirigakure no jutsu." Zabuza said as a thick mist covered the place.

"He's gone!" Sakura yelled.

"He will come after me first, Momochi Zabuza of the Kirigakure assassin corps is a famous master of Sairento kiringu. Letting your guard down around him buys you a direct trip to heaven. I haven't necessarily mastered every aspect of the Sharingan. So all of you stay on your toes!" Kakashi said as the mist got much thicker.

"What's with all this fog?" Naruto yelled.

"There are eight targets." Came Zabuza's voice.

"What? Wha-what was that?" Sakura asked.

"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, heart. So many choices. What vital, vulnerable place shall I choose? Heh-heh." Zabuza said as Kakashi noticed something and quickly made a hand sign.

In the trees

"Oh, great. I can't see anything through this mist." Flare said as he tried to see the battle through the thick fog.

"Stop complaining, will you?" Aqua said as she tried to sense what was going on through the moisture in the air.

"Hey, hey, Vaati-sensei, Ventus. Can you tell me what the heck's going on down there?" Flare asked.

"Nothing right now, they're only standing there, though I do suspect that we will see some action soon." Ventus said.

"What do you mean "we"? The only one's who'll "see" anything are you, Aqua-chan and Vaati-sensei!" Flare said.

"Shut up will you? I'm trying to concentrate here, you baka." Aqua said, trying not to yell.

"You can shut up." Flare said, but then Aqua just looked towards him and an arrow of water formed from the moisture in the air and pointed at Flare's head "…okay, I shut up." And the arrow turned back into moisture.

With team 7

'_This terrible bloodthirst. If I draw his attention by even blinking, he'll kill me. I can feel it. I can't stay like this for long. I'm going to lose it. A master ninja, determined to make a kill. Knowing my life is in his hands. I hate it! You start wanting to die, just to end the suspense…'_ Sasuke thought.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said, getting the Uchiha's attention "Calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you. I will never let my comrades die!" The jonin said while eye-smiling with both eyes.

"I wouldn't bet on that…" Came Zabuza's voice, from inside the formation "Game over."

Zabuza then started swinging his massive sword, but Kakashi came up in front of him and stuck his kunai into Zabuza's stomach as Tazuna and the genin got away from the missing-nin. However, it wasn't blood that came out of Zabuza's wound, it was water. And a second Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, ready to strike.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto yelled as he pointed at the second Zabuza. The first Zabuza then turned into water and the other one swung his sword at Kakashi, cutting the jonin in to, but said jonin burst into water.

'_A Mizu Bunshin? He was able to copy me in this mist?'_ Zabuza thought in surprise.

"Don't move…" He heard a voice from behind him say as he felt a kunai at his throat and Kakashi said "Game over."

"Heh, think it's over? You just don't get it. It will take more to defeat me than mimicking me like an ape… a lot more. Heh-heh, but you are good. In that short time, you duplicated my Mizu Bunshin no jutsu." Zabuza said as he recalled what Kakashi had said to his team earlier.

"I will never let my comrades die!"

"And by making your Bunshin say something you'd say yourself, you ensured all my intention would be focused on it while you yourself used the Kirigakure no jutsu, watching my every move! Too bad for you…" Zabuza said before Kakashi suddenly heard the ex-Kiri-nins voice from behind him "I am not that easy to fool!" And the Zabuza in front of Kakashi turned into water.

"Zabuza was a Mizu Bunshin, too!" Naruto yelled as Zabuza prepared to swing his massive sword, but Kakashi ducked under it and the huge sword went into the ground and Zabuza quickly let go of the end of the hilt, before grabbing it with his left hand as he turned around and kicked Kakashi away.

'_And now…'_ Zabuza thought as he ran after Kakashi, but he stopped when he noticed that the ground was covered with… '_Caltrops…!'_

Kakashi then landed in the lake as Zabuza shunshined away, probably to get to the lake before Kakashi could re-surface.

'_Uh, did Kakashi-sensei get kicked all that way?'_ Sakura thought.

'_His physical techniques are fantastic!'_ Sasuke thought.

'_This water, why is it so heavy…?'_ Kakashi thought as he tried getting out of the water, but Zabuza appeared behind him before finishing a hand sign sequence.

"Hah, gullible fool. Suiton: Suiro no jutsu." Zabuza said and suddenly a prison of water came from Zabuza's palm and went around Kakashi.

"That prison is inescapable. You're trapped. You running around free makes it too hard for me to do my job. I'll finish you later, after I've dealt with all the others." Zabuza said before forming half the tora sign with his left hand.

"Mizu Bunshin no jutsu." Zabuza said and suddenly, a second Zabuza rose up from the water.

"Little ninja wannabe. Trying so hard to fit in, you even wear a Hitai-ate. But a true ninja is one who has crossed and recrossed the barrier between the lands of the living and the dead. Clothes don't make a shinobi. You need skills good enough to rate a listing in my Bingo-book of enemies before you deserve to be called ninja. We don't call your kind "ninja" we call them…" The Mizu Bunshin said before vanishing.

'_He vanished again!' _Naruto thought just before Zabuza appeared in front of him and kicked him so hard that he was sent flying backwards and his Hitai-ate fell off before Zabuza stepped on it as it landed on the ground.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"…brats." The real Zabuza finished his Bunshin's previous sentence.

"Everyone, listen. Take Tazuna-san and go! It's a fight you can't win. If he wants to hold me in this Suiro, he can't leave this place. If his Mizu Bunshin gets more than a certain distance away from his real body, he loses control of it. So get out of here!" Kakashi yelled.

'…_He's a jonin. A real jonin… I have to get away. I can't just stay here. There's no doubt of it. I'll die if I don't. he'll kill me.'_ Naruto thought as he tried to get back on his feet, but then he noticed the mark that once again had become visible on his right hand, but this time it glowed far more intense than ever before.

In the trees

"W-what is that light?" Flare asked as he saw the light through the thick mist.

'_There's no mistake about it, that's…'_ Vaati thought before saying "That's the mark of the Triforce of Courage, the mark of the hero. And it's coming from the Kyubi brat!"

With team 7

Everyone looked shocked at the light that came from Naruto's hand, and they were so focused on it that no one noticed that the marks on Sasuke's and Sakura's hands had also come to life.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me, there's a great evil approaching and the world needs a hero…"** Naruto heard that voice again and suddenly came a light down from the sky as the mist suddenly faded, and a tanto suddenly landed next to Naruto and said blond along with everyone else looked at it, but one was more surprised at seeing it than the others.

'_That blade, it's Hakko chakura to!' _Kakashi thought as he recalled something that had happened a long time ago when the Third Great Ninja War was still going on.

Flashback

'_Where am I_?" Kakashi thought as he awakened under the night sky on a rock next to where his jonin sensei, Namikaze Minato was sitting.

"Hm… you're awake…" Minato said upon noticing that his student's eyes where open.

"Sensei! but how?" Kakashi asked as he sat up and Minato held up a three-pronged kunai.

"The jutsu formula in this kunai sets a mark, allowing me to quickly hop around with my Hirashin no jutsu." The blond jonin said.

"And the… enemy?" Kakashi asked.

"I dealt with all of them…" Minato said.

"What about Rin? Where is she?" Kakashi asked and Minato pointed towards the young brunette who was looking up at the night sky.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time, Kakashi… Rin told me everything…" Minato said before Kakashi noticed the two halves of Hakko chakura to, his father's blade and he held up the two pieces.

"Guess I won't be using this anymore." Kakashi said and Minato was about to say something when a light suddenly came from the sky and a girl suddenly landed in front of them.

She had shoulder-length green hair, green eyes and she was wearing a green dress.

"W-who… who are you?" Kakashi asked.

"**I am Farore, Goddess of Courage!" **The girl said.

"Goddess, then can you tell me if Obito is all right?" The three looked towards Rin, who had come over to them after she saw the light.

"**Sorry, but I'm not allowed to tell you anything."** Farore said before taking the tanto from Kakashi's hands.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked.

"**The hero will soon come again, and when he does, I will give him this tanto and he will face a man, known as a demon and win!"** Farore said before vanishing.

Flashback end

"Naruto, grab that tanto and fight!" Kakashi yelled, after all he wasn't going to go against the wishes of a Goddess, a Goddess that had also predicted that he would win.

Everyone was shocked at what Kakashi had just said, how did the sudden appearance of a tanto make much difference. Well, either way, Naruto grabbed the blade and stood up on his feet, ready to face the demon as the mark on his right hand continued to glow.

"Ha, how is a simple blade like that, going to make any difference." Zabuza said.

"Oh, shut up you. Kakashi-sensei believes in me, so I'm not backing down!" Naruto said as he got into a fighting stance.

"Naruto, get out of there, you won't stand a chance against him!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto didn't listen to her however and just charged at Zabuza, but the demon blocked Naruto's swing with his Kubikiribocho, but then something unexpected happened, a small green gem on the hilt of the tanto started glowing and Zabuza's sword wasn't only pushed back, but it was sent flying through the trees – unknown to them – towards the Tani team.

In the trees

The sword came flying straight at Aqua, but instead of killing her, it just went straight through her, as though she was made out of water.

With team 7

Naruto cut through the Mizu Bunshin and it turned to water before he picked up his Hitai-ate and tied it around his forehead.

"Got a new listing for your bingo-book right here! A guy who is gonna be the next Hokage of Konohagakure no sato. Uzumaki Naruto! Konoha-school ninja!" Naruto said.

'_At our first meeting, I thought the little fellow was an inconsequential brat.'_ Tazuna thought.

'_Wow, did Naruto just…?'_ Sakura thought as a blush forced its way on her cheeks.

'_How could he…? But he's a dobe, the dead last!'_ Sasuke thought.

"So there is some power in you after all." Zabuza said before he suddenly sensed something and he jumped out of the way – freeing Kakashi – just in time before Naruto suddenly came up from the water with the tanto.

'_When he defeated my Mizu Bunshin, he must've used the water as cover while he formed a Bunshin of his own and sent it to attack me, so that I would lose my concentration and Kakashi would get free.'_ Zabuza thought.

"Katon: Goukakyo no jutsu." Suddenly a fire ball came at Zabuza, but he evaded it, however then Naruto struck the ball with his sword and sent it straight at him. This time he didn't have time to dodge it and he used his sword to block it instead. Suddenly Naruto came through the fire ball and hit Zabuza's sword so hard that the demon was sent flying into a tree.

"Hmmm… that was a good plan Naruto." Sasuke said as he walked up to his blond teammate.

Flashback

'_How could he…? But he's a dobe, the dead last!'_ Sasuke thought before he noticed something and he looked towards the bushes to see Naruto's head poking out and he walked towards him.

Flashback end

"If you think you've won, then you are mistaken." Zabuza said as he tried to stand up, but just then came two senbons come flying and they went straight through Zabuza's neck.

Everyone looked up towards where the senbon had come from to see a kid, wearing a hunter mask. Kakashi then shunshined over to Zabuza's body to check if he was still alive.

'_WAY dead…'_ The jonin thought before he looked up at the kid that had taken down the demon.

"Thank you for your help. I hope you don't mind my interfering, but I wanted the satisfaction… of putting Zabuza out of his misery myself!" The kid said.

"The mask is familiar… correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a shinobi hunter from Kirigakure?" Kakashi said.

"Well, aren't you the smart one? I am, indeed a member of the elite tracking unit from Kirigakure no sato. It is our responsibility – and our art – to hunt down and deal with the rouges and outlaws." The kid said.

'_Judging by his size and the timbre of his voice, he couldn't be much older than Naruto or my other students, yet he's already a full-fledged shinobi hunter! He's not your average kid, that's for sure!'_ Kakashi thought before pulling his Hitai-ate down. The hunter-nin then shunshined down to Zabuza's body and hoisted it over his shoulders.

"Your battle is over, for now and the remains must be disposed of, lest they give up secrets to our foes. Well then, I must be off." The kid said before shunshining away.

"I wonder where this came from anyway." Naruto said as he looked down on the Hakko chakura to that he still held in his hand.

"Now. We still have to escort Tazuna-san the rest of the way to his home. Let's put our best feet forward!" Kakashi said.

"Ha ha hah! You poor kids. You must feel so humiliated! But never mind. You can lick your wounds at my house." Tazuna said before they walked towards his house.

As soon as team 7 and Tazuna were out of view, Vaati and his team jumped down from the trees and landed where the battle had just taken place.

"The Triforce of Courage, the mark of the hero, this changes everything." Vaati said as he took something out of his pocket.

"What's that sensei?" Aqua asked.

"Something that will make things a lot more interesting." Vaati said as he knelt down and buried what appeared to be a seed into the soft soil.

Chapter preview

Kakashi "This won't be any ordinary tree climbing. You're not allowed to use your hands."

Naruto "What the…? What's the deal with all these weird plants?"

Vaati "Let's see if our brave little hero can handle this one."

**Nayru '**_**Strange, it's summer, so how come it's so cold?'**_

Kakashi "Looks like I was right. Our mysterious masked friend… is playing on Zabuza's team."

**Inner Sakura "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Training! Cha!"**

Sasuke "I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch."

Character status

Naruto: Level: 4

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Oiroke, Harem, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: Hakko chakura to, kunai, shuriken.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 4

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan. (Not unlocked yet)

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 1

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Triforce: Wisdom

Kakashi: Level: 45

Techniques: Raikiri, Magen: Narakumi, Doton: Shinju zanshu, Doton: Doryuheki, Doton: Moguragakure, Fuja hoin, Katon: Goukakyo, Genjutsu: Sharingan, Raiton: Kage Bunshin, Taju Kage Bunshin, Sennen Goroshi, Kage Bunshin, Kuchiyose, Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga, Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan.

Zabuza: Level: 45

Techniques: Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin, Sairento Kiringu, Suiro, Suiton: Daibakufu, Suiton: Suiryudan.

Weapons: Kubikiribocho.

Ventus: Level: 25

Techniques: unknown

Weapons: unknown

Flare: Level: 15

Techniques: unknown

Weapons: unknown

Aqua: Level: 14

Techniques: unknown

Weapons: unknown

Vaati: Level: 65

Techniques: unknown

Weapons: unknown

Kekkei Genkai: unknown

**A/N That's that chapter, hope you enjoyed the way Naruto beat one of the Oni-brothers, always wondered what'd happen if he did that during a battle, lol. Also it'll be a while before my next update unfortunately, but next week it'll be Sonic and the Jinchuriki.**


	4. Training

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Wave arc**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Sorry it's taken so long people, but I'm back to this story at last. Also, I'm no longer limiting myself to concentrate on one story each week, instead it's more like one story each month. However I recently decided on rather having it that I'll concentrate on one story until I'm done with the current arc no matter how long it takes. Of course, this arc only has like one or two chapters left and I'm not gonna be a douchebag and just write two chapters before going over to the next story, so I'll give you the entirety of the Chunin exam arc as well. Oh, and by the way, for those who haven't checked the previous chapter recently, I've changed the name for this chapter.

**Wolfpackersson09:** This is definitely a good start for the fic. The only problem is who gets the Triforce of Wisdom? I would recommend Sakura or Ino for this and pair one of the two with Naruto. Hinata does have insight, but insight is different from Wisdom as it represents knowledge and good judgement. Wisdom always comes with age and sometimes to become wise we must make mistakes.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Well, you should know the answer to your question by now.

**cybresamurai:** Amazing i Fucking love you (no homo) this story is amazing please update please

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Um… Thanks… next!

**Stallion6 of Deviantart:** Naruto and farore? That is an interesting pairing! I'll keep an eye on this!

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Yeah, I know. Actually, I think I might be the first one to come up with this pairing.

**Out of Pseudonyms:** What happened to terra, and who is flare supposed to be?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Um… This isn't Kingdom Hearts. The Ventus and Aqua in this story are entirely different characters than the Ventus and Aqua from those games. And Terra's on another team.

**ChronoMitsurugi:** The summary says "three unlikely people".

How is the triforce of power in an Uchiha, especially Sas-Uke the emo-king, an unlikely person?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Think of it logically. The Triforce of Power was stolen by Madara so that it would come into the possession of the Uchiha clan. And from Madara, it should go to his direct descendants, and his descendant is Obito, so how in the world could it possibly end up in the hands of Sasuke?

**Guest:** Update? Please? pleeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassseeee?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Alright, alright. Geez…

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God thought**

**Naruto: **Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything but his OCs.

Chapter 3: Training

After the encounter with the demon known as Zabuza, everyone had gotten to Tazuna's house unscathed. Right now, the four ninja and Tazuna were sitting around a table in the dining room as Tazuna's daughter – Tsunami – was making something to eat.

"This time, you took down your strongest foe yet, so we can probably relax for a while…" Tazuna said.

"I can't get my mind off that masked kid…" Sakura said in thought.

"That mask is worn by the most elite and secret ninja from Kirigakure. The shinobi hunters all wear them. Their unit is code-named the "Undertaker Squad", because they dispose of corpses so thoroughly, it's as though they never existed. Even after death, a shinobi's corpse may yield up its secrets of the skills it had mastered, as well as the aura of the chakra it was steeped in in the ninja's native lands… even the ingredients of any drugs or potions that body consumed become an open book. In the same way – when I die – if an enemy were to take possession of my remains, the corpse would reveal all of the anatomical idiosyncracies unique to possessors of the Sharingan. In the worst case, the enemy might gain enough information to be able to duplicate and master that power. Ninja corpses tell to many tales. Basically, shinobi hunters specialize in tracking down and eliminating missing-nin and obliterating their remains… in order to protect the secrets of their home from the rest of the world. Silently and without a trace. That's how ninja leave the world…" Kakashi explained.

"So, Zabuza's body will be dismembered and destroyed? That's so creepy…!" Sakura said as she imagined a chopped-up Zabuza.

Forest road

The boy was kneeling over Zabuza's body as he took what looked like a scissor and brought it closer and closer to the swordsman.

"First, I'll remove the wrappings around the mouth so the blood can drain out, and then…" He was interrupted however when Zabuza suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the boy's wrist while pulling down the bandages over his mouth.

"Enough! I can do it myself…" He said.

"Well now… awake already?" The boy said as the demon sat up.

"You have all the finesse… of a butcher…" Zabuza said as he grabbed one of the senbon and pulled it out.

"Gently, please, Zabuza-sama. If you pull those out any which way, you really will kill yourself." The boy said.

"How long are you going to keep that ghoulish mask on? Take it off." Zabuza said.

"Old habits die hard… and it was also useful for my monkey-pantomime routine…" The boy said as he removed the mask to reveal that he had a very feminine face "They'd have killed you if I hadn't intervened."

"You needn't have targeted the vulnerable areas in the neck just to put me in a death-like trance… Any number of other points on my body would have done." Zabuza said.

"And you really think that any other places would have fooled Sharingan no Kakashi so easily?" A voice said and the two instantly got on their feet and looked up towards a tree to see Vaati standing on a branch "Only in the neck – where the vital spots are so close to one-another – would fool someone as skilled as him."

"That Hitai-ate… You're a Tani-nin, aren't you? What are you doing here?" Zabuza asked.

"Why I'm here is not important. However, if you think you can beat Kakashi and his brats, you are mistaken." Vaati said.

"Last time, those brats only got lucky, that's all. Next time, I'll crush them like the brats they are." Zabuza said.

"Overconfidence will get you nowhere. I can give you the power you need to beat them. What do you say?" Vaati asked.

"No thanks. I always fight using my own strength, I don't need any help." Zabuza said.

"Very well. if that's what you want. But then you'll never win the next battle with the Konoha-nins." Vaati said as he vanished into thin air.

Tazuna's house

'_Something just doesn't feel right… Could it be…? Is it possible I've overlooked something?_' Kakashi thought and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all noticed that he seemed to be thinking hard on something.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm… Of course…" Kakashi said before turning to his Genin "The shinobi hunters who manage corpse disposals are supposed to destroy the bodies of those they kill at once, right on the spot."

"So what?" Sakura asked.

"Don't you get it? How did the kid in the mask dispose of Zabuza's corpse?" Kakashi asked.

"Huh? How should I know? He took the body with him." Sakura said.

"Yes, he did… even though all he needed to take home as proof he'd made the kill was the head. And… there is a mystery surrounding the weapons that the hunter used to dispatch his prey…" Kakashi said.

'_Senbon…'_ Sasuke thought before his eyes widened as he realized what Kakashi was getting at "No way…"

"Yes… way." Kakashi said.

"What the hell nonsense are you mumbling on about…?" Tazuna asked.

"That it's likely… Zabuza is still alive." Kakashi said, and Naruto's, Sakura's and Tazuna's eyes widened.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Naruto yelled.

"But Kakashi-sensei… you checked to be sure Zabuza was dead, didn't you?" Sakura yelled.

"I made sure of it… but… a death-like trance could have created a very convincing illusion of the real thing. Those senbon that shinobi hunter used can be very deadly… if they hit a vital spot. If not, the mortality rate is surprisingly low… and remember, they were originally designed as medical treatment tools. Shinobi hunters and all members of any village's corpse disposal squad must possess an intimate and thorough knowledge of human physiology. It would be simple for one of them to place a person into a near-death state. First of all, the masked boy went to the trouble of lugging off Zabuza's heavy carcass… secondly, the senbon he used as weapons – while potentially deadly – can also be used to inflict non-mortal injury… these two points suggest that the kid's objective was to give the illusion of killing Zabuza… while he rescued him. Things may be just the way they seemed… but we have to consider the other possibility." Kakashi said.

"Aren't you just complicating things by over-thinking them? Shinobi hunters are supposed to hunt outlaw shinobi, right?" Tazuna said.

"Usually… but ignoring something that smells this fishy is a great first step to being caught completely unprepared. And preparation is a shinobi's most important skill. Oh well. Whether Zabuza is dead or alive, there may still be more and even deadlier ninja in the service of our enemy, Gato." Kakashi said before he noticed that Naruto was shivering with excitement '_Interesting… Naruto seems excited at the possibility that Zabuza survived.'_

"Sensei. How should we prepare? Zabuza almost managed to beat you last time, didn't he?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to increase your training schedule." Kakashi said.

"What? Training…? But Kakashi-sensei, what will a little extra training now matter with what we're up against? Our opponent is a ninja so powerful that even with your Sharingan, he almost defeated you!" Sakura yelled as her inner self yelled **"Are you trying to get us all killed?"**

"And when I was beleaguered, Sakura… think about who it was that rescued me… You three all are maturing, progressing rapidly, your powers growing exponentially…" Kakashi said before giving an eye-smile as he continued "Especially yours, Naruto. You've grown the most."

'… _Naruto…? Well, he seems a lot more grown-up than he used to, but…'_ Sakura thought as she looked at her blond teammate before looking at Kakashi "But, sensei. Even if Zabuza is alive, how can we just train without knowing when he may return and strike again?"

"An excellent question… but once a person has been placed into a near-death trance, it is quite some time before their body returns to its previous state of health and readiness. So we'll train while we're waiting." Kakashi said.

"Could be fun." Naruto exclaimed.

"It won't be fun for you." A young boy said as he entered.

"Who the heck are you?" Naruto yelled.

"Inari! Where have you been?" Tazuna asked.

"Welcome home… ojii-san…" The boy, now identified as Inari said.

"Inari, greet our guests properly. They're the esteemed ninja who brought our ojii-san safely home." Tsunami said.

"But kaa-san, they're all gonna die." Inari said as he pointed at the three Genin.

"Listen you little twerp!" Naruto yelled.

"No one can beat Gato and his men." Inari said.

"You brat!" Naruto yelled as he was about to punch the kid, but Sakura held him back.

"Pull yourself together, Naruto! He's just a little boy." She yelled.

"Right. Hey, pay attention, little guy!" Naruto said, catching the boy's attention "I'm a super-hero who'll someday become the most extreme ninja. My name will be Hokage! Gato? "Gateau"? This guy's named "cake"! You can't seriously expect me to be afraid of that!"

"Hmph. "Hero"? You're dumb. There's no such thing." Inari said.

"Wh-what?" Naruto yelled.

"I said, quit it!" Sakura yelled.

"If you don't wanna die, go home now…" Inari said as he walked towards a door.

"Where are you off to, Inari?" Tazuna asked.

"I'm going to watch the ocean from my room…" Inari said as he opened the door before slamming it shut behind him.

"Please forgive him…" Tazuna said.

Soon after Naruto had followed the boy, wanting to give him a piece of his mind.

"Where'd that little brat go? I'm gonna give him such a hit." He said as he walked up a staircase before walking through a hallway until he reached a door which he assumed to be the door to Inari's room. However, when he was about to open it, he could hear sobbing coming from the other side '_… He's crying.'_

Inside his room, Inari was sitting his desk as he looked on a picture of one that was probably his father as he was crying.

"Tou-san…" He said in-between his sobbing.

Naruto then decided to return down to where the others were.

Forest, the next day

"So, it's decided. The new training regimen begins today." Kakashi said as he was standing before his Genin.

"YEAH!" Naruto yelled.

"But first… let's discuss the basis of your ninja powers… the internal energies known as chakra." Kakashi said.

"What? We've already learned everything about chakra at the academy." Naruto said.

"Naruto's right… We all already employ the ninja arts and techniques." Sasuke said.

"Wrong. None of you yet has full mastery of your chakra." Kakashi said.

"NANI?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Now, listen… Manipulation of the chakra… refers to summoning physical and mental energies and combining them within your own body. Right now, none of you are using your chakra effectively. No matter how great the amount of chakra you summon and manipulate… if you can't maintain your balance – whatever the technique – not only will the effectiveness of your maneuver be cut in half, but you could blunder so badly that the Jutsu may not be released at all. And because you end up squandering your chakra, you not only lack the stamina for a protracted fight, but you also develop significant vulnerabilities." Kakashi explained.

"So… uh… what do we do? Heh heh." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head.

"You learn to control your body through the harshest training… go out on a limb, and learn from the experience." Kakashi said.

"How do we do that?" Sakura asked.

"How? We climb trees." Kakashi said as he made a one-handed hand sign.

Forest road (where the battle against Zabuza took place)

A tree had started growing from the spot where Vaati had planted the seed the previous day, and surprisingly, it was already as tall as a human. The three Tani-nins were also there with Ventus standing on a branch, keeping watch, Flare sitting restlessly against a tree as he was obviously bored out of his mind, and Aqua was lying in the water of the lake, seemingly asleep until her eyes suddenly burst open.

"Vaati-sensei's back." She said as she rose up on her feet and walked over the water until she got on land.

"FINALLY!" Flare exclaimed as he got up on his feet while Ventus jumped down from the trees.

"So, how'd it go?" Ventus asked when Vaati came out of the tree-line.

"Zabuza was stubborn and refused my offer." Vaati said.

"What do we do then? After all, we can't just come out and attack them ourselves." Ventus said.

"That's why I planted that." Vaati said as he pointed to the tree "In a week, that tree will have grown completely, then in another month, the tree's roots will have expanded to the rest of the island."

"Do you really think they'll be here that long?" Flare asked.

"I got a good look at that bridge earlier, it's still at least a month from being completed. Besides, the Deku Babas will grow as the roots expand." Vaati said.

"So how long is it gonna be till the first Deku Baba has grown?" Ventus asked.

"That should be about around the time when the tree's grown completely, but we'll have to wait till it's grown into a Diababa." Vaati said.

"Diababa?" Flare asked.

"Basically, it's like the "queen" of the Deku Babas. It is "born" from the same seed as the tree and – as Vaati-sensei said earlier – starts growing when the tree's about full-grown, and from there all the other Deku Baba plants are "born". Seriously, how can you be a ninja of Tani and _not_ know this?" Aqua said.

"Well, I'm not that interested in plants." Flare stated and Aqua face-palmed.

"Figures." She muttered under her breath.

Forest, team 7

"Climb trees?" Naruto and Sakura yelled.

"That's right…" Kakashi said.

'_What a waste of time…'_ Naruto thought.

"How could that qualify as training?" Sakura asked.

"Listen up, you three. This won't be any ordinary tree climbing. You're not allowed to use your hands." Kakashi said.

'_That sounds like fun!'_ Naruto thought.

"How…?" Sakura asked.

"Watch and learn." Kakashi said as he weaved a hand sign before walking over to a tree and actually walking up the side of it until he reached a branch and walked out on the under-side of it before stopping and turning towards his students.

"He's climbing…" Naruto said.

"… With his legs… and feet… parallel to the ground." Sakura said.

"That's it, in a nutshell. Focus all of the energy of your chakra toward the soles of your feet and use that power to cling to the trunk. When you have full mastery over your own chakra, this is the kind of thing you can accomplish." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

"But… Kakashi-sensei… how will learning to climb trees this way make us any stronger?" Sakura asked.

"I'm just getting to that. Listen and learn. The point of it all, the goal… is greater mastery over the chakra. To use no more than is necessary… but to maximize its effectiveness in where and how it is applied. That subtle control is the most critical aspect of every Jutsu and technique you'll ever apply. It's also the most difficult skill for even a master ninja to command. The type of tree-climbing we are doing here requires the most fine and delicate application of chakra imaginable. Especially because the bottom of the foot is an area where it is most difficult to manipulate one's energies. In other words… if you can master the control needed for this skill, no Jutsu should ever be beyond you. In theory, anyway." Kakashi said the last part under his breath before continuing with the explanation "The secondary objective is to build up enough stamina necessary to complete your task once the chakra has been focused. If you think _this_ looks hard, it's even more difficult to maintain your chakra when using Ninjutsu. In battle, circumstances are constantly changing, and a true shinobi has to be able to manipulate and maintain his chakra on the fly, if he ever hopes to prevail. The time you need to just stand around trying to summon and control your own powers is a luxury you won't have. So while you're climbing those trees… you'll also be mastering skills that will probably save your lives. … Now, no more talk. It's time for action. The only way to learn is by doing." He then threw three kunai down to the three Genin and each of the knives landed in front of their feet "Use the kunai to score the bark at the highest point you can climb to. It will serve as a reminder for later. Your goal is to make a mark on a higher spot each time you climb. I don't expect any of you to reach the tree-top on your first try. A running start will probably give enough momentum for a good first effort. All right?"

"No sweat! I could do this before breakfast!" Naruto said as he picked up the knife before yelling "I'm the fastest-developing ninja on this team!"

"Less talk and more action. Choose your trees and up you go." Kakashi said.

'_Right… Focus my chakra in my feet…'_ Naruto thought as he and his teammates channeled their chakra into their feet.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Naruto yelled as the three of them ran towards three different trees. As soon as Naruto stepped on the tree, however, he fell back down on his back as Sasuke was pushed of the tree as he made a foot-shaped hole in it before landing on the ground.

'_Maintaining focus is a lot harder than I expected… Too much force and the surface's own energy repels you. Too little and you'll never adhere in the first place… so you end up like Naruto.'_ He thought.

'_Huh… There is the difference between Naruto and Sasuke in a nutshell.'_ Kakashi thought.

"This is easier than I thought." Everyone then looked towards Sakura who had gotten up to a branch which was at least ten meters above the ground.

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto said.

"Well, now we know which of you three has the best control over her chakra. our young lady." Kakashi said.

"Incredible! You go, Sakura-chan! That's my girl!" Naruto exclaimed.

'_I wanted to impress Sasuke-kun… but the only one who cared was Naruto… just like always.'_ Sakura thought.

"Well… Understanding the use of one's chakra and manipulating them, successfully… is quite an achievement. So far… Sakura is probably the one closest to over-taking our leader, Hokage-sama, despite all of Naruto's boasts and aspirations… and the finest hope of clan Uchiha doesn't seem too impressive, either." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi-sensei, how could you?" Sakura yelled before thinking '_Sasuke-kun's going to hate me!'_

'_On the other hand… within them, all three harbor such massive, untapped reserves of chakra that most people's is nothing by comparison. If this lesson goes as planned, by the end, we should be able to tap those vast resources.'_ Kakashi thought.

'_All right! For starters, at least I can catch up to Sasuke! And I will!'_ Naruto thought as unknown to them, Inari had watched them the whole time.

'_Hah! They're wasting their time…'_ He thought as he walked away.

Zabuza's fortress

Inside of Zabuza's base was the man in question lying on a bed as the boy, Haku watched over him. Haku then looked towards the door as Gato entered with two of his thugs.

"I'm surprised you have the nerve to show your face around here after taking a beating like that. And from a kid no-less. Ninja from Kirigakure would appear to be vastly overrated. You can't even clean up for your miserable subordinates. "Demon", my ass. Don't make me laugh." Gato said as his two thugs reached for their swords.

'_Are they going to attack…?'_ Haku thought.

"Wait a minute, you two…" Gato said before walking towards Zabuza "So… nothing to say for yourself? No last words?" As he reached for Zabuza however, Haku grabbed his wrist.

"Don't defile Zabuza-sama with your touch." Haku said.

"How dare you?" Gato yelled and the two thugs moved in to attack, but before they knew it, Haku was already standing in-between them, holding their own swords to their throats.

'_N-no…'_ One of them thought.

'_He didn't seem to move…!'_ The other one thought.

"You don't want to do that… when I'm angry." Haku said.

'_He's some kind of monster.'_ One of the thugs thought.

"Th-there better not be any more mistakes. I-if you fail again, don't think you can come back here!" Gato said he and the thugs left.

"Haku… there was no need for you to…" Zabuza said as he was holding a kunai in his left hand.

"I know… But it's too soon to finish Gato off. If we cause a commotion where we are, we might find ourselves on the run from _them_ again. For now, let's be patient." Haku said as he walked back over to Zabuza.

"… Yes." Zabuza said as he looked at the ceiling.

"Zabuza-sama, I've noticed that you seem to have been thinking hard on something. May I ask what it is?" Haku asked and Zabuza sighed.

"You know me pretty well, don't you? Did you see the mark that appeared on the blond brat's hand?" Zabuza asked.

"Yes. What about it?" Haku asked.

"It's just something that Yagura told me a long time ago… before he became Mizukage… before he changed." Zabuza said.

Flashback

Zabuza and Yagura were walking down the streets of Kirigakure no sato. Yagura looked like a young kid, but in fact he was older than Zabuza and was also the only survivor of the graduations class that Zabuza had massacred. Not only did he survive, but he was even able to hold his own against Zabuza, and afterwards the two of them became friends.

"You've been thinking hard about something all day, what is it?" Zabuza asked as he looked down on the future Mizukage.

"It's something Kujira-sensei told me." Yagura said.

"Something Sandaime-sama said?" Zabuza asked and Yagura nodded.

"He told me about an old legend." Yagura said.

"An old legend?" Zabuza asked.

"A long time ago, the three great Goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore created an object of great power called the "Triforce"." Yagura said before he proceeded to tell Zabuza the rest of the legend.

Flashback end

"And you think that the mark which appeared on the boy's hand was the mark of the Triforce of Courage?" Haku asked.

"It fits the description." Zabuza said.

team 7

As the days passed on, the three Genin of team 7 continued their rigorous training, though Sakura – seeing as though she had already mastered control of her chakra – was sent to watch over Tazuna as he worked on the bridge.

Naruto and Sasuke on the other hand were still trying to reach the top of the trees, neither liking the other's progress. And soon their rivalry had gone so far that they even made eating, a competition.

One day, after dinner, Sakura walked over to a small picture, hanging on the wall. She recognized Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari on it, but there was one more who's upper body had been torn off.

"Um… Why is this picture torn?" She then looked over her shoulder as she continued "Little Inari was looking at it this the whole time we were having dinner. Someone's face is completely gone. Is that deliberate?"

"… It was a picture of Inari's otou-san." Tsunami said.

"… Once upon a time – if you will – our entire city called him a hero." Tazuna said and Inari got up before walking towards the door.

"Inari. Where are you going?" Tsunami asked before Inari walked through the door and shut it behind him "Inari!" Tsunami then looked over her shoulder towards Tazuna "Tou-san! I've told you time and again not to mention that in front of my son!"

"So… you're talking about what it is that makes Inari act so strangely…?" Sakura asked.

"It sounds like there's a story there…" Kakashi said.

"… The man in the picture was not Inari's birth-father… but they were as loving and close as any biological father and son could have been. Inari was such a happy, laughing child back then…" Tazuna said before sobbing a little as he continued "… But Inari changed… after what happened to his otou-san."

Tazuna then told them of how Inari first met Kaiza and that he became the boy's father, and even how he even risked his own life to save the village from flooding once. However, when Gato came, Kaiza had attempted to stop him, but failed and was executed in front of everyone.

"Ever since then, Inari has changed… and Tsunami… and everyone in the city's changed too." Tazuna said as Naruto thought back to what Inari had said at their first meeting.

""Hero"? You're dumb. There's no such thing."

The blond then stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.

"What are you doing, Naruto…?" Sakura asked.

"… Don't even think about training any more today. If you try to work your chakra anymore without getting some rest first, it would probably kill you." Kakashi said.

"I'm going to prove to him that he's wrong." Naruto said.

"Prove what? To whom?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to show Inari… that there are still heroes in the world." Naruto said before walking out the door.

Forest, a few days later

Haku was in the forest, picking herbs for Zabuza. He had his hair down, making him look even more like a girl, and he also wore a kimono. As he picked herbs however, he spotted a sleeping Naruto some meters away from him, and he then walked towards the blond.

Tazuna's house

Sakura yawned as she entered the dining room to find that everyone but Naruto was present.

"Naughty Naruto stayed out all night again, didn't he?" Tazuna asked.

"Ever since you told us that story, he's been in the trees, training all alone, night after night… An idiot with an obsession." Sakura said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before sitting down "If he exhausts his chakra, he could kill himself… and be lying dead somewhere right now."

"… I hope he's all right. It's not good for a boy to spend night after night alone outside." Tsunami said.

"There's nothing to worry about. Naruto's a goofy kid… but he's also a full-fledged ninja." Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

"Is it possible… could he have killed himself? That bone-head…" Sasuke said.

Forest

Haku reached for Naruto's neck seemingly planning to kill him, but then he just shook the blond awake instead.

"You'll catch your death of cold, sleeping on the ground." He said.

"… Hunh? Hun…? Who… are you…?" Naruto asked as he sat up.

Shortly afterwards, Naruto was helping Haku with collecting herbs, not knowing who they were for.

"Hey. Hey. Have I picked enough of those herbs you wanted? Are these grasses and weeds really medicinal?" The blond asked.

"I'm sorry to have imposed on you." Haku apologized.

"That's some job you took on, girl… harvesting all that this early in the morning." Naruto said.

"Look at who's talking. What were you doing in the middle of nowhere at the crack of dawn?" Haku asked.

"Training." Naruto said.

"Really? That Hitai-ate you're wearing… Are you some kind of ninja?" Haku asked.

"Why? Do you think I look like one? Do I? Really? Because I am." Naruto exclaimed.

"Wow… That's incredible." Haku said before asking "What were you training for?"

"To build up my strength." Naruto said.

"But… but you look so strong and manly already." Haku said.

"Nope. Wrong. I need to be a lot stronger than this." Naruto said.

"But… why…" Haku asked.

"To become top dog in my home town. All the people who used to treat me like dirt will have to say "He's the number one ninja". And right at the moment, I kind of have to prove a point… to a certain person I know." Naruto said.

"… Are you doing this for the sake of that person… or for your own satisfaction?" Haku asked.

"… Whut?" Naruto asked, making Haku giggle "What's so funny?"

"… Do you have… anyone special in your life?" Haku asked.

'_What's this girl driving at?'_ Naruto thought.

"When people… are protecting something truly precious to them, they truly can become strong… as strong as they must be." Haku said and Naruto thought back to what Kakashi had said when they ran into Zabuza.

"I will never let my comrades die."

He then thought back to what he himself had said to Mizuki the day he graduated from the academy.

"Keep away from Iruka-sensei… or I'll kill you!"

"Yup. I know all about it." He said before Haku got up and turned around before walking away.

"You _will_ get stronger… I know we'll meet again…" Haku said.

"Right." Naruto said.

"… So… you should know… I'm a boy." Haku said.

'_No way! He's… he's even prettier than Sakura-chan!'_ Naruto thought before Sasuke showed up.

The next day

"Where did Naruto go _this _time…? Pushing himself beyond his limit, going out by himself again last night…" Kakashi said as he and Sakura were both standing at their usual training spot.

"And at breakfast time… Sasuke-kun says he's going for a walk… and he disappears too." Sakura said as she looked around before a kunai suddenly came down and imbedded itself in the ground in front of them, and they looked up to see Naruto resting on a branch.

"Naruto can climb all the way up _there_?" Sakura asked before thinking '_Amazing…'_

"Well? Well? Did you see? Lookit how high I can go." Naruto said before getting up on his feet and jumping down to the ground.

"Hey, Naruto, where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked and Naruto pointed into the trees just before Sasuke came down.

Tazuna's house

Inari was sitting on his desk in his room, looking at the picture of his father as he thought '_… Uzumaki Naruto, huh…'_

Zabuza's fortress

Zabuza was holding an apple in his hand before crushing it.

"Most of your strength has returned." Haku said.

"Excellent. Let's get going, Haku." Zabuza said.

"Of course." Haku said.

Forest

Naruto and Sasuke had both finally made it to the top of the two tallest trees in the forest.

"Want to head back?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure." Naruto said.

Tazuna's house

"So, you're finally back. Looking like something the cat dragged in." Tazuna said as Sasuke and Naruto entered into the house with the former supporting the latter.

"Heh… Both of us…" Naruto started.

'_I _told_ you if you didn't take a break you'd wear yourself out, you dobe.'_ Sasuke thought.

"We made it to the top of the tree." Naruto finished.

"Good. Naruto, Sasuke, starting tomorrow… you two can help Sakura protect Tazuna-san." Kakashi said.

"Yes, sir!" Both boys said in unison.

"Whew. Well, I'm dirty, sweaty, and real worn out from all of the work on the bridge today, but construction is almost complete." Tazuna said.

"Tou-san, you and Naruto are two of a kind. Please don't work yourself to death." Tsunami said as Naruto and Sasuke sat down by the table.

"Yep." Tazuna said.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked as he noticed that Inari was looking at him.

"Why do you wear yourself out trying? No matter how hard you train, you'll never be a match for Gato's thugs! You act all cool, and you talk all tough… But big, strong guys like that are always too much for people weaker than they are. They'll destroy you!" Inari yelled.

"Shut up. I'm not you, and I'm not gonna lose." Naruto said.

"Just watching you ticks me off! You go running your mouth when you don't know a thing! This isn't your town! And you don't know a thing about me. You're always clowning around and having fun. You don't know a thing about suffering or loneliness or what my life is like!" Inari yelled.

"So… you figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at your pity party? It takes a really big man to sit around and cry… you brat! You big baby!" Naruto said before getting to his feet and walking away.

"Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura yelled.

Later, Inari was sitting outside as he looked at the water before Kakashi came up behind him.

"May I join you…?" He asked before sitting down and saying "You know, Naruto's kind of a brat, but he wasn't trying to be mean or hateful, he just… lacks finesse… Tazuna-san told us about what happened to your father. Naruto grew up without a father, same as you. Actually, without any parents. He doesn't remember either one of them. Or have a single friend. His whole life is one big, painful memory."

"R-really?" Inari asked.

"And in all the time I've known him, I've never seen him cry. Or use his troubles as an excuse to sulk or be a coward. Not once. He always… tries his hardest, hoping someone will notice and give him a kind word or a pat on the back. That's his dream, and he's risked his life for it. I think one day he must have just gotten fed up with crying. He understands what it means to be strong. He knows what it costs and what it's worth… just as your father did. Naruto probably understands you and knows how you feel better than any of the rest of us." Kakashi said.

"Nani?" Inari said.

"He can't leave you alone… because you've gotten under his skin." Kakashi said.

Land of Waterfalls, Takigakure

Takigakure no sato was like any other ninja village with the people going about their daily business and the shinobi were doing their usual missions just like always. Though everything wasn't normal in the village, just a few weeks ago, temperatures dropped and it got extremely cold. It was almost as though the land itself had caught cold.

In one of the many streets in the village was a beautiful woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties with long blue hair, a blue dress and with blue eyes walking. Though despite her appearance and the fact that she apparently wasn't too bothered by the cold, no one seemed to pay any attention to her.

'**Strange, it's summer, so how come it's so cold?'** She thought before – out of the corner of her eye – she spotted a girl that was thrown out of what appeared to be a ramen stand.

The girl had tan skin, green hair and she wore fairly revealing clothes. What caught the woman's attention the most however were the girl's unusual orange eyes.

"I've told you a thousand times before. Get lost! You're scaring away my customers." The ramen stand's owner said and the girl got to her feet a walked away as she tried to hide her sadness with a mask of happiness, but failed.

"**Excuse me. But who was that girl?"** The woman asked the ramen shop owner as she walked over to him.

"Huh? You don't know?" He said as he looked at her before realizing that the woman isn't from around here "You're not from around here, I take it. Well, fare piece of advice; stay away from that girl, she's a demon who wouldn't think twice about killing you if she could."

"**Really? She didn't seem that bad to me."** The woman asked as she frowned.

"Trust me. Nothing good can ever come from hanging around her." The ramen shop owner said.

"… **I'll stay away from her then. Could I have a bowl of ramen please?"** The woman asked.

"Sure. What kind?" The ramen shop owner asked.

"**Surprise me."** The woman said and shortly after was the man done with her ramen.

"Here you go, now eat up." He said.

"**Actually, I think I'll take it with me."** The woman said as she paid the man and took the bowl and was about to turn around when she thought about something **"You wouldn't happen to have a warm coat lying around, would you? It's a little cold."** As she said this, she winked at him, causing him to blush.

"S-sure." He said as he went to get a coat and gave it to the woman "Here you go, miss."

"**Well, aren't you sweet?"** She said before leaving.

At a cliff which was overlooking a waterfall was a tree standing alone as the girl from before was sitting at the base of said tree, crying. The place was located outside of the actual village, and no one really knew what was behind the waterfall seeing as though it was believed to be sacred ground.

The girl was surprised however when she felt something warm come over her and she looked up to see that someone had put a warm coat over her. She then looked towards the one who had done it to see a beautiful woman that she had never seen before.

"**It must be cold, sitting out here all by yourself."** The woman said.

"Who are you?" The girl asked.

"**You can call me Nayru. What about you?"** The woman asked.

"Fu." The girl said as she looked to the ground before her stomach suddenly growled.

"**Here you go."** Nayru said as she held out the bowl of ramen for Fu.

"Uh… Arigato…" Fu said as she took the bowl.

Land of Waves, Tazuna's house

Tazuna, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura were outside the house as they were about to go to the construction site.

"Wait, Ojii-san!" Inari said as he came out followed by Tsunami.

"Hmm? What is it Inari?" Tazuna asked.

"Could I come and watch you work today?" Inari asked.

"Huh? What's this about all of a sudden?" Tazuna asked.

"I thought that I could probably help you out… to get the bridge done faster." Inari said as he looked away.

"Sure. No problem." Tazuna said before Kakashi looked over at Tsunami.

"Well. Please take care of Naruto. He's worn himself out. I doubt he'll be able to move for the rest of the day." He said.

"We're off, Tsunami." Tazuna said as they started walking.

"Bye. And please be careful Inari." Tsunami said.

"Will do." Inari said.

Later, Naruto woke up to find that everyone had already left without him, So he decided to get to the bridge as fast as he could, however as he was tree-jumping, he noticed something.

'_What's that?'_ He thought.

Bridge

"What happened?" Tazuna asked as they had gotten to the bridge to find that all of the workers had been knocked down. He walked over to one of them and asked "What happened? What… could have…?"

"M-monsters…" The worker said.

'_It can't be…'_ Kakashi thought.

Tazuna's house

The two thugs that were with Gato earlier stood outside of Tazuna's house as they smirked before cutting down the door.

"Huh? Who's there?" Tsunami asked as she turned around and her eyes widened at who she saw.

Forest

"Whoa, what is this thing?" Naruto asked as a large plant attacked him. It was obviously a carnivorous plant, but it was much larger than any normal carnivorous plant.

The plant's head came at him, but he dodged it before grabbing a kunai and throwing it at the plant, but as the kunai came into its mouth, it closed its mouth and swallowed the knife.

'_The hell?'_ Naruto thought before the plant's head came at him again, but he dodged it before grabbing the Hakko Chakura To and sliced the plant's head in two, effectively killing it "Phew… Got it." He then looked around to see that there were many others "You've got to be kidding me."

Naruto then started running, trying to avoid all of the plant's attempting to eat him, before eventually reaching the place where they met Zabuza, but he noticed that there was something different this time around. There was a large tree that was much taller and wider than all the other trees.

"Whoa, that's one huge tree!" He exclaimed before noticing that the tree was surrounded by the weird plants and some were even coming out of its bark "What the…? What's the deal with all these weird plants?" He then noticed a walkway that went up to a round door "I wonder if these plants are coming from there? Well, might as well find the source of them."

He then walked up the walkway and towards the door, what he didn't notice however was the four Tani-nins standing on the tree-tops, spying on him.

"Let's see if our brave little hero can handle this one." Vaati said as Naruto entered the door.

Bridge

"They're coming!" Kakashi said as he, Sasuke and Sakura got ready to fight as Tazuna and Inari prepared for whatever was coming.

'_I was right. He survived… and he's come back to finish things.'_ Kakashi thought before a fog came in.

"Kakashi-sensei, is this…? That man we met… his "Kirigakure no Jutsu"… isn't it?" Sakura asked before Sasuke started trembling.

"Been a while, Kakashi… and I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing…" Zabuza said before several Mizu Bunshins appeared around them with one even appearing in the middle of their formation.

"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch." Sasuke said.

"Go ahead… Sasuke." Kakashi said with an eye-smile before all of the Zabuza's swung their swords, but Sasuke quickly took out all of them with the help of two kunai, one in each hand.

"Well. My Mizu Bunshins were obviously no match for you. It seems the brats have matured quite a bit… into worthy rivals… eh, Haku?" Zabuza said as he and Haku appeared in front of the five.

"Indeed." Haku – who had his mask on – said.

"Looks like I was right. Our mysterious masked friend… is playing on Zabuza's team." Kakashi said.

Land of Waterfalls, Taki, Fu's spot

'_Who is this woman anyway, and why is she so nice to me? She probably wouldn't be if she knew about my burden…'_ Fu thought as she ate the ramen.

"**It must've been hard on you… with the way the villagers are treating you. I can't even begin to imagine how it's like to be a Jinchuriki."** Nayru said and Fu's eyes widened before she looked up at the woman.

"Y-you knew…? Then… why… why are you so nice to me…?" Fu asked.

"**I don't see why not. You seem like a pretty all right girl to me. Besides, I've always hated the way people look at Jinchuriki."** Nayru said before noticing something on the back of the girl's right hand **"May I have a look at your hand?"**

"Um… Sure…" Fu said as she held out her hand, and Nayru took it.

She noticed that there was a mark on the hand, six blue marks which were in a circular formation that made it almost look like an over-head view of a flower. It looked a little like the Triforce marks that would appear on the three Chosen, but unlike those, this one was more like a tattoo that was etched into Fu's skin.

'_**After 2.000 years, the cycle seems to be finally repeating itself, first the reappearance of the Chosen, and now…'**_ Nayru thought before looking at Fu's face _**'… that of the Sages.'**_

Chapter preview

Zabuza "That boy haven't yet developed the psychological strength to turn his heart to ice and take a human life. Haku on the other hand has lived the kind of emotional anguish that prepares him to be a true shinobi. No true shinobi could ever be born of a place like your village, a place of weakness… of peace. You don't live with death, or grow up needing to kill to ensure your own survival. In you those skills – and the mindset they require – die stillborn."

Haku _'His eyes are… it can't be…! They're… Sharingan…?'_

Naruto "All these weird plants are really starting to get on my nerves!"

**Nayru "Fu, follow me, and I will show you were you're most needed."**

Vaati "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Battle on the bridge."

Naruto "Whoa! That thing's huge!"

Character status

Naruto: Level: 7

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Oiroke, Harem, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: Hakko Chakura To, kunai, shuriken.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 7

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan. (Not unlocked yet)

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 3

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Triforce: Wisdom

Kakashi: Level: 45

Techniques: Raikiri, Magen: Narakumi, Doton: Shinju zanshu, Doton: Doryuheki, Doton: Moguragakure, Fuja hoin, Katon: Goukakyo, Genjutsu: Sharingan, Raiton: Kage Bunshin, Taju Kage Bunshin, Sennen Goroshi, Kage Bunshin, Kuchiyose, Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga, Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** And that's the end of that chapter. By the way, before I forget; after writing the previous chapter, I realized that there actually was a village called Tanigakure in the Land of Rivers, but in this story, Tani isn't located there, but rather located in-between the lands of Wind, Earth and Stone.


	5. Battle on the bridge

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Wave arc**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Hello guys. This here'll be the last chapter of the wave arc, but as I said in the last chapter, I will continue with this story until I'm done with the Chunin Exam arc. Oh, and by the way, before I go over to the reviews, from this chapter on, I'll add hearts and races in the character stats. Also note that I'll add hearts to ALL characters, also they'll sometimes get a heart by simply leveling-up instead of defeating a boss-level opponent. And also; 3-6 hearts means Genin-Level, 7-10 hearts means Chunin-Level, 11-20 hearts means Jonin-Level, and 21-50 hearts means Kage-Level. Yes, in this story, it's possible to have up to 50 hearts, though it's nearly impossible to get that many.

**Stallion6 of Deviantart:** Did you know "Tobi" is Obito?

Is the Master Sword going to appear?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Yes to both questions, though it'll be some time till the Master Sword appears.

**irzenmonk:** good chapter ne

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Thanks.

**Guest:** here' s an idea to spice up your story namely making Naruto into something of a werefox a result of the nine tailed fox and the triforce of courage power's mixing leading to our young hero to develope the ability to shift into two alternate forms in addition to his average every day form these alternate forms are that of a anthromorphic fox and a feral fox though the first few transformation will be rather painful for our hero and he will have to deal with some animal insticts which could potentially consume his humanity mentally causing him to become a fox not just in body but in mind as well at least until he manages to master this power thus eliminating this threat of mentally losing himself forever. As for the rest of his teamates they a really, really big wake up call like Sakura not focusing too much on her crush like say all the time and improving her skills as a kunouchi whereas for sasuke maybe teaching him that there are just somethings you earn whereas for others they choose you thus causing him to try and the very least think about how he should goe about get his vengence like taking his time preparing himself and learning to acknowledge the strenght of others and their potential to grow thus getting him to swallow his pride and put it aside and work hard to develope his own power through his own strenght. And the ones who should break the ice should be the three godesses themselves and make team seven see the flaws and cracks in their team as well as themselves and making them see the bigger picture at how the triforce has tied into a potential twist of fate that will change the world for better or for worse and who they should watch out for and it should be done in a dream.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Those where some good ideas, I'll think about them. However I've already gotten a plan for how Sasuke should start leading another path than the one he leads in canon.

**ChronoMitsurugi:** Your logic fails to take into account that Sasuke's entire life has been about gaining power at all cost. It makes him exactly like the rest of his family which is why they were executed.

Basically Uchiha's and Power. An Uchiha gets the triforce of power. That is about as "unlikely" as a million NarutoxSasuke, NarutoxSakura and NarutoxHinata fics showing up on the internet.

Really it is just that wording that is getting to me. The rest of the story is fine. It isn't my kind of fic but I'm picky like that.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Umm… So where does my logic fail? The Triforce pieces goes down through families like a Kekkei Genkai, the only reason it even came to the Uchiha clan was because Madara "stole" it. And from Madara, it should have gone down to his oldest child, and his oldest child, etc. And Sasuke isn't that closely related to Madara, and even if he were, the Triforce of Power would've gone to Itachi, not Sasuke.

**Naruto Obito Halliwell Uzumaki:** this chapter is pretty good, can't wait for the next chapter.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Wait's over.

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.' _Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God thought**

*Triforce.* Speaking in Hylian

**Kakashi:** Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything but his OCs.

Chapter 4: Battle on the bridge

"They're coming!" Kakashi said as he, Sasuke and Sakura got ready to fight as Tazuna and Inari prepared for whatever was coming.

_'I was right. He survived… and he's come back to finish things.'_ Kakashi thought before a fog came in.

"Kakashi-sensei, is this…? That man we met… his "Kirigakure no Jutsu"… isn't it?" Sakura asked before Sasuke started trembling.

"Been a while, Kakashi… and I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing…" Zabuza said before several Mizu Bunshins appeared around them with one even appearing in the middle of their formation.

"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch." Sasuke said.

"Go ahead… Sasuke." Kakashi said with an eye-smile before all of the Zabuza's swung their swords, but Sasuke quickly took out all of them with the help of two kunai, one in each hand.

"Well. My Mizu Bunshins were obviously no match for you. It seems the brats have matured quite a bit… into worthy rivals… eh, Haku?" Zabuza said as he and Haku appeared in front of the five.

"Indeed." Haku – who had his mask on – said.

"Looks like I was right. Our mysterious masked friend… is playing on Zabuza's team." Kakashi said.

"He has the nerve, showing up like this!" Sakura yelled.

"This one's mine." Sasuke said before looking at Haku "That was quite a show you put on before. But we're on to you now… and I hate ham actors."

"Sasuke-kun's so cool." Sakura said.

'_Sakura challenges everything Naruto says or does… but she takes Sasuke completely at face value, without question.'_ Kakashi said.

"Impressive kid, isn't he? Even if your Mizu Bunshins have only a tenth of the strength of the originals… it's amazing he was able to do so well." Haku said.

"But we're still on the offensive. Go!" Zabuza said.

"Yes, sir." Haku said as he vanished in a shunshin before appearing before Sasuke, senbon in hand and he tried to strike the Uchiha, but Sasuke quickly got into position to block the senbon.

(Boss #1: Ice user, Haku!)

Forest, Deku Baba Tree

(Dungeon #1: Deku Baba Tree!)

Naruto entered a large round room inside the tree, and he looked around in amazement. He also noted that in the middle of the room was some kind of crystal which was as big as him.

"Whoa, this place looks bigger from the inside." Naruto said before walking towards the crystal in the middle of the room.

As he traversed the room however, several of those weird plants came up from the ground and he quickly drew the Hakko Chakura To before slicing it through the plants' "necks". Naruto then charged towards the crystal as several more plants sprung up and latched out at him, but he ducked under one before slicing off its head and jumping over the area in-between two others as they latched out towards each other.

Naruto then landed one the ground before leaping towards the crystal and he swung his sword at it, making it glow yellow before the room suddenly started shaking.

"Wh-what now?" He asked before the floor suddenly started descending. As the floor descended, Naruto noticed several holes in the walls and suddenly jumped some kind of creatures that looked like a mix between humans and pigs out. They also had grey skin and pretty ragged clothes as well as a horn on their heads and each of them held a sword in their right hand. **(Kurama no Kyubi: Wind Waker style Bokoblin.)**

"What the…? What are these guys supposed to be?" Naruto asked no one in particular as he got ready to fight.

Bridge

Haku attempted to strike down Sasuke with his senbon, but Sasuke managed to block it using his left kunai.

'_Aha. He can keep up with Haku's speed.'_ Zabuza thought.

"Sakura! We have to cover Tazuna-san and Inari. Take that side, and stay close! Let Sasuke handle Haku." Kakashi said.

"Yes, sir!" Sakura said before taking Tazuna and Inari away from the battle.

"I don't want to have to kill you, but you probably won't leave quietly will you?" Haku said.

"Don't be stupid." Sasuke said.

"Just as I thought…however you won't be able to match my speed for long. And I've laid the groundwork for two attacks." Haku said.

"Two attacks?" Sasuke asked.

"Firstly, there's the water splashed all around us. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands with parrying this move…which leaves you only one hand free to defend yourself from my attacks!" Haku said as he started weaving a series of hand signs with only one hand.

'_What? With just one hand, he's…!'_ Sasuke thought in surprise.

'_He's making signs with just one hand? I've never seen anything like it.'_ Kakashi thought.

"Sensatsu suisho." Haku said and the water suddenly went up into the air around them and formed into needles of ice.

'_So… "I don't want to have to kill you"…? I wonder if he truly means that!'_ Zabuza thought.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled just before Sasuke made a one-handed hand sign as he concentrated his chakra.

'_Come on. Gotta remember the training. Summon all of the chakra that you can… and focus it in my feet!'_ Sasuke thought as the needles shot towards him and he jumped into the air.

'_Where did he…?'_ Haku thought before he saw four shuriken coming down towards him and he jumped back, avoiding the first three and knocking the fourth away with his senbon before he came to a stop.

"You're not that fast. Now you're the one who has to worry about defending yourself from my attacks." Sasuke said from behind Haku before he swung his right arm at the Hyoton user, but Haku blocked it with his left arm and Sasuke then threw the kunai that he was holding in his right hand at Haku's head. Haku managed to duck under it, but then Sasuke moved in to kick him.

'… _H-he's fast…' _Haku thought and the kick sent him flying towards Zabuza.

'_What…? Haku… is actually losing a battle of speed?'_ Zabuza thought as Haku landed.

"You're fast. I'm faster." Sasuke said with confidence.

"You had that coming… for underestimating my team… and for name-calling. He may not look like much… but Sasuke here is a top-rated rookie from all of Konohagakure no sato. And Sakura here is our sharpest mind…" Kakashi said.

"**That's for sure. Oh, yes."** Inner Sakura said.

"And last, but not least… let's not forget our own comedy ninja, the maverick show-stopper, the one and only Naruto!" Kakashi finished before Zabuza started laughing.

"Haku… do you understand, if this goes on, you could end up dying at the hands of the very person you sought to spare?" Zabuza said and Haku stood up.

"What a pity." He said before making a hand sign and the temperature around them dropped.

'_Wh-why… does the air suddenly feel so… cold?'_ Sasuke wondered before the water around him suddenly rose up and formed a dome of ice mirrors around him.

"Makyo hyoso." Haku announced the name of the technique.

'_I… don't know this jutsu!'_ Kakashi thought before Haku walked into one of the mirrors and his reflection could be seen in all of them.

"Blast!" Kakashi said as he leaped towards the dome of ice mirrors, but Zabuza stepped in his way.

"Let's not forget, I'm your enemy. Our children can play together… while my boy kills yours." The demon of Kiri said.

'_No…'_ Kakashi thought as he got ready to fight.

"Now that it's all in place…" Haku started.

'_What's he planning to do with these mirrors?'_ Sasuke thought as Haku continued talking.

"… Let me show you some real speed!" The Hyoton user finished before he took out a senbon and Sasuke was suddenly struck by senbons from everywhere.

"SASUKE!" Kakashi yelled as he heard the Uchiha's screams.

"Any sudden moves and I'll kill those other two!" Zabuza said.

"You…!" Kakashi said.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled as she too could hear the screams.

Land of Waterfalls, Taki, Fu's spot

Nayru stood up as she stared towards the waterfall before saying** "Fu, follow me, and I will show you were you're most needed."**

"Were… I'm most needed?" Fu asked and Nayru nodded before waving her hand and out of nowhere appeared a magical staircase that went down to just in front of the waterfall.

Nayru then walked down the staircase as Fu rose up to her feet and reluctantly followed her. When they reached the bottom, the staircase suddenly vanished, making Fu look behind her as she looked around, amazed. She then turned back to Nayru who had walked over to the waterfall.

"Wait… You can't walk further past that point. It's a sacred place." Fu said, causing Nayru to stop in her tracks before turning around.

"**We can enter."** Nayru said before holding out her right hand for Fu to take **"Come, and realize your destiny."**

Fu then – as if in a trance – took Nayru's hand before following her through the waterfall and into a cave. Something that both of them noticed was that it also got warmer the instant they walked through the waterfall.

Land of Waves, forest, Deku Baba Tree

The floor finally stopped descending as the last of those weird human-pigs were defeated suddenly a chest appeared at one end of the room. Naruto walked over to said chest before opening it to find that there was a key inside, he then turned around to find that there was a door at the other end of the room and he walked over to it.

After passing through the door, he came to a room which was basically a bottomless pit with a bridge that went in four different directions in it. Naruto walked over the bridge before looking in the three directions he could choose between. The doors to the left and right were blocked by bars and the one in front of him was locked.

He walked towards the locked door before using the key he had found to unlock it ad he walked through. As he entered into a new room, bars suddenly dropped down in front of the door he'd just come through.

He then looked towards the middle of the room to see a plant which looked like the other ones except that it was bigger, much bigger.

The plant's head then charged at the blond, but Naruto managed to roll out of the way before weaving a hand sign as he concentrated his chakra into his feet before jumping into the air. And as he came down, he cut through the Plant's stalk, disconnecting the head from the body.

The bars in front of the door then rose up so that Naruto could pass through the door again, and as a reward for defeating the plant, a chest appeared out of nowhere. Naruto then opened the chest to find a map of the place and he then returned to the previous room.

Once there, the bars in front of the door to his right rose up so that he could enter through the door which he did.

Land of Waterfalls, Taki, Jabu-Jabu's lake

Nayru and Fu exited the cave as they came out before a large lake.

"Whoa. I never knew there was a lake here." Fu said.

'_**Seems like my suspicions were right, as soon as we passed through the magical barrier which would prevent anyone that's not allowed to enter this place to enter, it got warmer. That cold was definitely due to some form of evil magic.'**_Nayru thought as she walked into the water before turning around **"I am Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom."**

"A… Goddess…?" Fu was lost for words, why would a Goddess come to her of all people.

"**You're probably wondering why I brought you here. Well, first I need to ask you if you've ever heard of the "Legend of the Triforce"?"** Nayru said.

"N-no… I haven't." Fu said.

"**I'm not surprised. Well, then. Let me tell you."** Nayru said before telling Fu the legend.

Land of Waves, bridge

'… _If I go to help Sasuke, Tazuna-san and Inari will be completely exposed, but I can't just abandon the boy. But at the first sign of a Kage Bunshin from me, he'll counter with his Mizu Bunshins… I'd just be squandering my chakra…'_ Kakashi thought.

'_Looks like destroying all the mirrors may be my only hope. These mirrors are made of ice, so…'_ Sasuke thought before quickly weaving a series of hand signs before saying "Katon: Goukakyo no Jutsu!"

He then fired a wave of flames from his mouth, however it didn't even face the mirrors.

"That pitiful flame will barely touch my ice mirrors…" Haku said before beginning another barrage of senbons.

"The Jutsu I'm using is part of Shunshin no Jutsu, and the only tool I need to perform it is the mirrors that hold my image. I move so quickly, the pair of you might as well be standing still." Haku said after he had ended the attacks.

'_So that's it.'_ Kakashi thought before saying "I never imagined that anyone could master such a technique at so young an age."

""Such a technique"…?" Sakura asked.

"It's a Kekkei Genkai, a skill that can be passed from one generation to the next. A genetic trait… running through the bloodlines of those of the purest shinobi pedigree… Some of the most extraordinary techniques are handed down from generation to generation solely on that basis…" Kakashi explained.

"You mean…" Sakura said.

"Precisely… It's of the same order of skill as my Sharingan… but even my Sharingan can't copy, mimic, or break this boy's Kekkei Genkai." Kakashi said.

Haku then launched another barrage of senbons at the Uchiha as he thought back to when he first met Zabuza.

Flashback

"Pathetic." Zabuza said as he stood before Haku who was sitting on the ground "Look at you… a foundling. An orphan. Thrown away. Unloved and uncared for… Soon, you'll die here, by the side of the road, with nothing to show that you lived or died and no one to care what your dreams were…"

"… I… can see myself in your eyes. We have the same expression." Haku said with a smile and Zabuza's eyes widened.

Flashback end

"I… find it difficult to embrace the full shinobi philosophy. I can't help but prefer that you don't force me to kill you. However, if you are going to come at me… I shall kill my own heart with my blade – just as the word "shinobi" was originally the words "heart" and "blade" – and act as a full-fledged shinobi would. This bridge is a nexus of our destinies… and all of our dreams and futures balance on the edge of a knife. I have my own dreams, as I am sure you have yours… Please try not to resent me, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes… to protect the one I care about the most… to fight, kill, or die to fulfill that person's dreams. Doing so is my own dream. To that end, I will become a true shinobi… and I shall kill you." Haku said.

"Sasuke-kun! Don't you dare lose to a person like him!" Sakura yelled.

"Stop encouraging him, Sakura." Kakashi said, catching Sakura's attention "Even if we knew of a way to counter his Jutsu, your teammate still wouldn't be up to the task of defeating that boy."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"That boy haven't yet developed the psychological strength to turn his heart to ice and take a human life. Haku on the other hand has lived the kind of emotional anguish that prepares him to be a true shinobi. No true shinobi could ever be born of a place like your village, a place of weakness… of peace. You don't live with death, or grow up needing to kill to ensure your own survival. In you those skills – and the mindset they require – die stillborn." Zabuza said.

"Kakashi-sensei… what can we do?" Sakura asked.

"You'll forgive me… if I put an end to this…" Kakashi said as he started to pull up his Hitai-ate.

"Heh-heh… Going to use the Sharingan…? What a vulgar maneuver. So obvious, so lacking in finesse." Zabuza said.

Forest, Deku Baba Tree

Naruto had traversed through several rooms in the dungeon, and he also found several chests. While most chests contained ryo, he found a few with keys which he used to unlock doors and there were also some containing kunai and shuriken so he could refill his supply of the throwing knives and stars. There was even a chest containing a compass which came in handy with finding the other chests for some reason.

Naruto entered a room deep within the tree to see that was quite different than all the other rooms he'd seen so far. It was rather small and – when seen from above – had the shape of a half-circle. The walls were also covered by vines that had thorns on them.

As Naruto took a few steps into the room, the door behind him closed and vines sprouted up from the ground to cover it. As the blond then looked towards the other side of the room, he was surprised when some of the vines suddenly tore themselves from the wall and morphed into the shape of a humanoid being which was a couple of feet taller than a full-grown human.

"All these weird plants are really starting to get on my nerves!" Naruto said as he grabbed the Hakko Chakura To from his back and got ready to fight. **(Kurama no Kyubi: He has it on the back just like Sakumo and Kakashi used to.)**

Suddenly the creature threw something towards Naruto, and the blond quickly rolled out of the way. As he stopped rolling, he looked towards were what the creature had thrown landed, and he noticed that it had been a rose… a really sharp rose seeing as though it had penetrated at least five centimeters into the ground.

He looked back at the creature before getting to his feet and charged at it. He then swung his sword, but the creature blocked with a rose before parrying Naruto's sword upwards and thrusting the rose towards the blond.

Naruto then jumped backwards before making a cross-shaped hand sign.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Five clones then appeared and they all charged at the creature, however, the creature's left arm suddenly turned into a whip and all of the clones were destroyed immediately as they were hit.

'_So, it throws the roses with its right arm and its left can turn into a whip.'_ Naruto thought before he suddenly heard that voice in his head again.

"**Na… ku… me… a… roach… and… or… ero…"** Naruto wondered why he mostly heard static, but he didn't have time to think about that now.

Unknown location

"**Argh. I can't get through to him!"** The green-haired girl said as she clutched her hair in frustration.

"**Well, you shouldn't be surprised. There's a strong concentration of dark magic surrounding that place."** The red-haired woman said as she stared down into the pool which they used to watch over the world to see that it mostly showed static.

Land of Waves, forest, Deku Baba Tree

Naruto jumped out of the way of another rose before charging at the creature. The creature's left arm then turned into a whip again, but Naruto blocked it before quickly making a clone which then jumped up and punched the creature in the face, making it reel back.

The clone then dispelled – obscuring the creature's vision – and the original Naruto then used the smoke as cover as he stabbed his sword straight through where the creature's heart would be.

As Naruto pulled out his sword, the creature fell down on its knees before suddenly blowing up. As the smoke from the explosion cleared, all that remained of the creature was a thorny vine-whip which Naruto then picked up.

He then looked up to see a branch sticking out of the wall just in front of a hole, and he used the whip to grab onto the branch before he was brought up there and he jumped into the hole to find that there was a switch there.

Naruto then swung his sword at the switch, making it glow yellow as the vines that were covering the door went back into the ground.

Land of Waterfalls, Taki, Jabu-Jabu's lake

"… **And that is the Legend of the Triforce."** Nayru said.

"But… that didn't explain why you brought me here." Fu said.

"**The three Chosen, the Hero, the Princess, and the Villain… These three are bound by an never-ending cycle of Good VS Evil. But they're not the only ones bound by the cycle, there's also the six Sages."** Nayru said.

"Six Sages?" Fu asked and Nayru nodded.

"**The Sage of Light, the Sage of the Forest, the Sage of Fire, the Sage of Water, the Sage of Spirits, and the Sage of Darkness. These six acts like caretakers of the different regions of Hyrule as well as guides for the Chosen."** Nayru said.

"I still don't understand what any of this has to do with me." Fu said.

"**Take a look at that mark on your hand."** Nayru said.

"Huh? This?" Fu asked as she looked at the back of her right hand before looking back at Nayru "What's this got to with anything?"

"**That's the mark of a Sage… or more specifically, the Sage of Water."** Nayru said.

"I'm… a Sage?" Fu asked shocked.

"**Yes. There's no mistaking it."** Nayru said before turning around **"Jabu-Jabu!"**

Fu's eyes then widened as a large whale suddenly came up from the water.

***Nayru-sama, what brings you here?*** The whale asked.

"**Jabu-Jabu, as you know, evil is on the rise again. I need you to locate the Zora's Sapphire, which – as you know – vanished a long time ago."** Nayru said before gesturing to Fu **"When you've found it, give it to Fu here."**

***I see, so she's the new Water Sage.*** Jabu-Jabu said as he looked at Fu who took a few steps back before he looked back at Nayru and said ***Very well, I will look for the sapphire."** He then went back down into the water.

"**Stay here and await Jabu-Jabu's return with the sapphire. You must then await the arrival of the hero."** Nayru said as she looked back at Fu.

"But how will I know who he is?" Fu asked.

"**Don't worry, you'll know when you meet him."** Nayru said before she began walking back in the direction of Taki until she stopped and turned around before throwing a book over to Fu.

""Hylian 101?"" She asked as she looked at the book.

"**While you wait, it might benefit you to learn some Hylian. Especially when talking to Gods, several of us refuse to speak in any other language."** Nayru said before continuing walking.

Land of Waves, bridge

(Boss #2: Demon of Kiri, Momochi Zabuza!)

Kakashi was pulling up his Hitai-ate, but Zabuza charged at him while pulling out a two-pronged kunai before apparently stabbing Kakashi. However, the copy-nin blocked it with the palm of his right hand.

"You can sneer all you want about my "lack of finesse", Zabuza… it doesn't change the fact that you're afraid of the Sharingan. And of me." Kakashi said.

"Heh-heh-heh… A ninja's secret weapon should be employed judiciously, not displayed at random to every foe you face." Zabuza said.

"You should feel privileged. No one else has ever lived to see the Sharingan a second time. And no one will ever see it thrice." Kakashi said.

"Heh-heh… By all means, defeat me, if you can. You still won't have what it takes to kill Haku." Zabuza said.

'_That masked boy is so powerful, even Kakashi-sensei can't win…?'_ Sakura thought before saying "Sensei…"

"Since he was a toddler, I've beaten his fighting skills into him. Even in the face of unthinkable adversity, he always prevailed. He's lost all regard for his own life and become a killing machine… a true shinobi. His skills surpass even my own. And he bears within him the formidable legacy of an inherited Kekkei Genkai. Thus, I have forged and carry with me a weapon of matchless quality and skill, entirely unlike the scraps of trash that you've brought with you today." Zabuza said as he pulled out the kunai as Kakashi fully pulled up his Hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan.

"Is there anything duller than listening to someone else brag? It's show time." He said.

"Hmph. Just so you know, Kakashi, the same spell won't work on me twice." Zabuza said before continuing "Having had a chance to see it in action I now have thorough understanding of the arcane workings of your Sharingan. There was far more to our previous battle than the apparently humiliating defeat I permitted you and your brats to hand me. Haku – who was hiding nearby – observed and studied every aspect of our fight, beginning to end. Haku is extremely intelligent. For him, to see a Jutsu is to analyze and understand it. And with that understanding, he can develop effective counter-measures. And now… Kirigakure no Jutsu!" A heavy fog then came in, obscuring Kakashi's view.

Back in the dome of ice mirrors was Sasuke still holding on as there was a temporary break in Haku's attacks.

'_There must be a limit to his chakra. His attacks have been getting weaker.'_ Sasuke thought before he noticed that Haku prepared to move '_He's coming!'_

Sasuke then started moving, but a senbon suddenly came straight through his knee from behind him.

"Sakura. I'm counting on you to protect Tazuna-san and Inari." Kakashi said as he waited for Zabuza to make his move.

'… _He's right… I've got to have faith in Sasuke-kun… and concentrate on what I have to do.'_ Sakura thought.

'_Where the hell is this fog coming from? You can't see your hand in front of your face.'_ Tazuna thought.

"The air is crackling with his energy, Tazuna-san, Inari. Stay by my side." Sakura said as she moved up in front of the two.

"All right, Sakura…" Tazuna said.

'_This fog is too thick for the Kirigakure no Jutsu. Even Zabuza won't be able to see anything through it.'_ Kakashi thought before he heard something and he then quickly repelled several incoming shuriken with a kunai.

"You repelled those nicely… no less than I'd expect of Sharingan no Kakashi." Zabuza said from behind the copy-nin who then turned around to see that the demon of Kiri had his eyes closed "However… the next time you see me… it will be the end."

'_His eyes are closed.'_ Kakashi thought.

"You've overestimated the value of your Sharingan." Zabuza said as he vanished from sight again.

Forest, Deku Baba Tree

Naruto came back to the room where the way split into three, not including where he came from. As he entered the room, the bars in front of the last door removed themselves and Naruto walked towards the door, however when he had gotten about halfway, he noticed something and looked up to a corner of the room to see a hole in the wall near the ceiling.

He then noticed several branches that were sticking out from the walls and he used his vine-whip to swing himself from branch to branch until finally getting up to the hole to see a door there.

He walked through the door to enter a round room, and on the other side of the room there was a hole in the wall with bars in it and on the other side was a blue chest with golden outlines, he also noticed that it was slightly bigger than the other chests he'd seen.

As he then reached the middle of the room, skeletons… SKELETONS rose up from the ground, wielding swords and shields.

'_This place is just getting weirder and weirder… Well, at least it's not ghosts.'_ Naruto thought before one of the skeletons swung its sword at him.

Naruto blocked it with his own sword before creating nine clones, seeing as though there were ten skeletons. Each clone then went for their own targets as the original jumped over the skeleton he was fighting before landing behind it and swinging his sword.

This didn't seem to do much however as the only damage the skeleton got was a barely visible crack on the back of its ribs where Naruto's sword had hit it. The skeleton then turned around before swinging its sword at the blond, but said blond jumped back to avoid it before pulling out his vine-whip and he swung the whip so that it wrapped around the skeleton's ribcage before Naruto pulled, ripping out the whole ribcage, and the skeleton suddenly crumbled to dust.

Naruto looked around to see that his clones were also finished with the other skeletons, and just then, the bars rose up, giving access to the treasure chest. Naruto dispelled all his clones and walked over to the chest, opened it and pulled out a key, however this one was much bigger than all of the other keys, plus it was gold-plated.

"This looks like it's important for something. Hmm… I wonder if it's to unlock a special door or something." Naruto thought out loud before an idea popped up in his head '_Maybe it's the key to a treasure chamber!'_

Bridge

"Heh-heh… With my eyes own eyes closed, I eliminate the possibility of your copying me while we're in close proximity." Zabuza said.

"But then… while I can't use my own eyes, neither can you." Kakashi said.

"Ah, but you forget…" Zabuza said.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"I am trained in Sairento Kiringu. My genius lies in the ability to hunt by sound alone." Zabuza said, causing Kakashi's eyes to widen.

'_Blast it… I've been so worried about Sasuke, I hadn't considered… How long it's been since I had to fight under conditions this adverse. I've got to calm down… stay smart… who will he target next?'_ Kakashi thought before realized it and turned towards the direction of Sakura and the others '_NO!'_

Meanwhile, Zabuza appeared behind Tazuna and Inari before grabbing his sword and swinging it. Tazuna and Inari then quickly managed to jump out of the way though Sakura was still there.

As Zabuza's sword came closer to her though, she suddenly felt a slight sting in her right hand as a bright light came out of it as she held her arms in front of her face as if they could block the massive sword. However, just then, the light formed into a beam and shot straight through Zabuza, knocking him back.

'_Nani?'_ Zabuza thought.

'_That light…'_ Kakashi thought before he noticed the Triforce mark on the pinkette's hand '_… The Triforce of Wisdom…!'_

'_Heh… What are the odds, Kakashi. Having two of the Chosen Ones on your team…"_ Zabuza thought as he rose up to his feet, he also noted that as soon as he'd been hit by light, it somehow dissipated the mist.

In the dome of ice mirrors, were Sasuke currently on his knees as he started to rise back up to his feet while thinking '_Ugh. If this keeps up, we'll all be in serious trouble… I've got to do something. My eyes are beginning to adjust to the environment...'_

'_I've been targeting the points that would result in mortal injuries, but… he's evaded every attempt. And he's gradually gaining speed, beginning to catch up to my own moves… That kid… he can see something…'_ Haku thought before saying "You… move well… but my next assault will take you down." As he pulled out more senbons, he thought '_He shows amazing stamina, reflexes, training, skill, and judgment… Though his every faculty must be extended past its limit by now…'_

'_Here he comes! Stay frosty… focus… concentrate… and look through the illusion.'_ Sasuke thought before leaping out of the way as Haku threw more senbons at him.

'_He wasn't fooled… or even confused. Impossible…!'_ Haku thought before noticing the boy's eyes… they were Sharingan, the right eye having two tomoe and the left eye having one _'His eyes are… it can't be…! They're… Sharingan…?'_

"… You're… I see… you too share the legacy of a Kekkei Genkai." Haku said before thinking '_An amazing boy… a prodigy still in the fledgling stages…'_

'_It was only for a moment… but I was actually able to see!'_ Sasuke thought.

'_To find that ability within himself and force it to awaken, untutored, in the heat of battle…'_ Haku thought before saying "I can't let this fight go on. My own Jutsu forces my to expand a great deal of chakra, so there is a limit to how long I can go on using it. And I'm certain that the longer our duel drags on… the greater your ability to perceive my movements will become. Especially since – to a certain extent – you can already see me now." Haku was then about to start another barrage of attacks, but he noticed a glowing triangle on the back of Sasuke's right hand '_Impossible… that's…!'_

"**Sasuke-kun, beware the darkness in your heart for it will consume you…"** Sasuke heard the voice in his head once again, but this time he just ignored it as the mark on the back of his right hand glowed more intensely and dark-red wisps of chakra came up around him.

'_What is this power I'm sensing…?'_ Haku thought.

Forest, Deku Baba Tree

Naruto entered a small, rectangular room to see that on the other end of said room was a large steel door which was obviously locked if the chains and the large keyhole was any indication.

"That must be the door that this key unlocks." Naruto said as he pulled out the key before walking over to the door and unlocked it. He then walked through and into another room.

As he entered another room, he noticed that half the room was covered in purple water and on the other side of the water was a large tree standing. When Naruto walked towards the water, two of those weird plants from earlier suddenly came up, but these two were much bigger.

(Boss #3: Queen of the Deku Baba, Diababa!)

"This doesn't look good…" Naruto said as he didn't really have any way of fighting those two plants considering they were so far into the water, but he had to try.

One of the plants then charged at the blond, attempting to eat him whole, but he rolled out of the way. As he rolled however, the vine-whip fell out of his pocket and landed on the ground, and as Naruto looked at it, he smirked as he got an idea.

Naruto then grabbed the whip before swinging it towards one of the plants so that it wrapped around the plant's stalk, and he pulled it towards him, making the plant's head crash into the ground.

Naruto then drew his sword before striking the head of the plant several times until it suddenly withered away, and he repeated the process with the other plant.

"Phew. I got 'em." Naruto said before the ground suddenly started shaking "Wh-what now…?"

Suddenly a much larger plant rose up from the water. This one was bigger than the previous two and as it opened its mouth to let out a screech, Naruto could see that its tongue was an eye-ball on a stalk.

"Whoa! That thing's huge!" Naruto said.

The gigantic plant then leaped down at him with its head, though he managed to roll out of the way before attempting what he had tried against the other plants, but this one's stalk was way too wide for the whip to wrap around.

"Oh, great. How am I supposed to beat this thing?" Naruto asked no one in particular.

"**Kid."** Naruto's eyes widened when he heard a voice inside his head, but it wasn't that female voice he'd always hear, instead, it was a deep male voice which sounded kinda demonic.

Naruto didn't get much time to think about this new voice however as the plant attempted to gobble him whole again. However, this time, Naruto wasn't fast enough and the plant was able to get his foot before it threw him up into the air and as he then fell back down, it closed its mouth around him, eating him whole.

Naruto's mindscape, Kyubi cage

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself inside what appeared to be some kind of sewer system with the floor covered in knee-high water. Before him was huge bars that went high up into the air until it reached the ceiling which was so high up that it wasn't even visible.

"Where… am I?" Naruto asked as he looked around before looking at the cage, and he noticed that there was something on the other side, however he couldn't see what it was.

"**Kid, you are really pathetic if you can't even beat a stupid plant."** A voice came from the other side of the bars.

"Huh? Who's there?" Naruto asked as he took some steps closer, he stopped and his eyes widened however when he saw two crimson-red eyes, a mouth, filled with sharp teeth and nine tails "N-no way. You're… the Kyubi no Kitsune."

"**In the flesh."** The Kyubi said as he became fully visible for the blond.

"But how's that possible? You're supposed to be sealed inside me! So how is it that you can be here in front of me?" Naruto asked.

"**Haven't you realized it yet? You're inside your mindscape." **The Kyubi said.

"My… mindscape?" Naruto asked.

"**That's right. It's basically a world within your own head."** The Kyubi said before adding **"It's also where all of your memories are being kept."**

"So I'm inside my own head? How's that even possible?" Naruto asked.

"**It's not, for most people. Jinchurikis are an exception though, being probably the only ones who can do it."** The Kyubi said.

"Jin... churiki…?" Naruto asked.

"**It's the common name for people who have demons – most notably, Bijus – sealed inside of them."** The Kyubi said.

"Oh, I see." Naruto said before looking up at the fox "You know, I didn't expect you to be so nice."

"**Shut up, will you? I'm not nice, I just decided to help you out a little, so that you'd be able to survive. For if you die, we both die. Therefore, I'm going to let you borrow some of my chakra."** The Kyubi said as he blushed from embarrassment.

"Huh? Really?" Naruto asked and the large fox nodded before Naruto yelled "YOSH!"

Forest, Deku Baba Tree

Naruto was in the large plant's stomach as he opened his eyes to reveal that his pupils were now slitted crimson. He had also grown fangs and claws.

Suddenly was the large plant's stalk sliced in two as the top half fell into the water and at the point on the lower half where it had been split was Naruto standing as he held the Hakko Chakura To. He then jumped over to land as the lower half of the plant fell into the water.

After landing, Naruto turned around to see that the water suddenly became clear, and something that looked like a giant heart suddenly shot out of the water and landed next to him.

"What's this?" Naruto asked no one in particular.

"**It's a Heart Container. You might be able to survive a little longer if you take it."** The Kyubi said.

Naruto then walked over to the Heart Container and as soon as he touched it, it suddenly vanished as the blond felt as though all of his strength was returning. But before Naruto could make a comment about that, the entire place suddenly started shaking.

"Wh-what's going on? Is it an earthquake?" He asked.

"**No. The whole place is coming down, you need to get out of there."** The Kyubi said.

"All right." Naruto said as he turned around, about to run for the door.

"**No! Not that way, you won't make it!"** The Kyubi said.

"What? Then what am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked.

"**There's an escape route through the water."** The Kyubi said and Naruto looked towards the water.

"Through there?" He said before running towards the water and jumping into it before diving down as debris fell from the ceiling.

As Naruto was in the water, it didn't take him long to find a cave and he swam into it and towards whatever exit laid ahead of him.

Bridge

Zabuza swung his sword and Kakashi blocked it with his kunai before they both suddenly felt a strong chakra, and they – along with Sakura, Tazuna and Inari – looked towards the dome of ice mirrors just in time to see one of the mirrors shattering as Haku flew towards them before flipping in the air and skidding along the ground as the shattered pieces of his mask fell down to the ground.

The other ice mirrors then shattered as Sasuke came out from the crumbling dome, being surrounded by dark-red wisps of chakra as he walked towards Haku. The ice user then threw a few senbon at the Uchiha, but Sasuke extended his right arm and the senbons bounced off his open palm.

"This power is amazing! I feel like I can do everything I want!" Sasuke said.

'_I-is that… Sasuke-kun?'_ Sakura thought before Sasuke showed the back of his right hand to everyone.

"Now, none of you weaklings can defeat me." He said.

'_That's… the Triforce of Power!'_ Zabuza thought before charging at Sasuke.

As he approached the Uchiha, he swung his sword, but Sasuke dodged it before holding out his hand and a ball of dark-red chakra suddenly flew from his hand and hit Zabuza. The missing-nin then weaved a series of hand signs before ending at the tori sign.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" A dragon of water then came out of the ocean behind Sasuke and slammed into his back, sending him towards Zabuza who got ready to cleave the boy in two with his sword.

Sasuke then felt a sting in his eyes as he came closer to the demon of Kiri, but just then, a wall of black flames rose up in-between them, and Zabuza had to jump out of the way. Sasuke then went straight through the flames as said flames dissipated.

Sasuke then skidded along the ground before he felt another sting in his eyes, and he fell down on his knees as Kakashi noticed the boy's eyes, they were black with three red intersecting eclipses.

'_That's… the Mangekyo Sharingan?'_ He thought as Sasuke began rubbing his eyes.

"Now die!" Zabuza said as he appeared behind the Uchiha and swung his sword downwards, but then Sasuke looked over his shoulder and suddenly, a purple ribcage appeared around him, successfully blocking the sword.

'_Nani?'_ Zabuza thought in surprise before he was about to swing the sword again, but he was stopped as Kakashi came up behind him, holding a kunai at his throat "… Kakashi."

"Stop this, Zabuza. I'm your opponent here." Kakashi said.

"Didn't you see that mark on the brat's hand? It's the Triforce of Power, the mark of the villain. If that boy is allowed to live, he could end up destroying the world." Zabuza said.

"We still don't know that." Kakashi said.

"Heh. You're just like everyone else of your village." Zabuza said before Sasuke suddenly passed out as the purple ribs vanished.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled.

In the trees

In the forest, not far from the bridge were Vaati and his team standing on the branches as they observed the battle that was going on.

"Hey, what just happened to Uchiha?" Aqua asked.

"He passed out, obviously. Heh, the Uchiha aren't as tough as everyone makes them out to be, not even close." Flare said.

"I don't know about that, it looked more like he passed out because of unlocking so much power all at once." Ventus said before looking at Vaati "What do you think, sensei?"

"I think you're right. It seems that in order for its host to survive, the Triforce of Power awakened the powers sleeping in that boy's eyes. But it seems that just the Sharingan wasn't enough, it went all the way and unlocked his Mangekyo Sharingan." Vaati said.

"Mangekyo Sharingan?" Aqua asked and Vaati nodded.

"It's a stronger version of the Sharingan, and there's only been a few people in recorded history that have managed to unlock it; Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi… and now, Uchiha Sasuke. However I doubt that Sasuke will manage control over those eyes any time soon." Vaati said.

"At least we know now that he's the one that's got the Triforce of Power, and the girl's the one with the Triforce of Wisdom… Who'd had thought that the three Chosen Ones would all end up on the same team." Ventus said before noticing something "Huh? Hey, there's something going on down there."

Bridge

"Heh… I expected more from you, Zabuza." Everyone turned towards the voice to see Gato stand there with an army of thugs.

"Gato… What are you doing here? And why did you bring all of _them_?" Zabuza asked.

'_Him…'_ Kakashi thought.

"Heh-heh-heh… There's been a slight change of plan, Zabuza. Or of your plans, anyway. This was what I had in mind all along. You're going to die here, "demon"… here and now." Gato said.

"What?" Zabuza asked.

"You must have guessed. I never intended to pay you. It's such a bother hiring a skilled shinobi affiliated with one of the top villages. It's expensive… and they tend to have friends who object when I betray and kill them. It's so much simpler to hire missing-nins like yourself. No one cares what I do to your kind once the job is done. All of you ninja are so eager to fight each other. Once you've worn each other down, common thugs can finish of the rest. It's a great business plan, efficient and inexpensive. My only mistake was hiring you in the first place. Calling yourself the demon of Kirigakure is just plain false advertising. Heh-heh… You're no demon… more like a _baby_ demon, if that." Gato said.

"The shape you're in, we'll take you down without even breaking a sweat!" One of the thugs said as they laughed.

"Forgive me, Kakashi… Our fight is over. I no longer have any reason to want to assassinate Tazuna… which settles our differences." Zabuza said as Kakashi removed the kunai from the missing-nin's throat.

"Yeah… you're right." Kakashi said.

"Agh. Let go of me, you…!" A female voice came from within the crowd of thugs.

"Huh? That voice…" Tazuna said before two thugs came out of the crowd with Tsunami "Tsunami!"

"Kaa-san!" Inari said.

"Tou-san… Inari!" Tsunami cried.

"Taking a hostage… the coward." Zabuza said before looking at Haku "How much chakra do you have left?"

"Not much." Haku said.

'_I don't have much chakra left either, and I doubt Zabuza's got much more. And Sakura wouldn't be able to fight that many on her own, not to mention that they've got a hostage…'_ Kakashi thought.

"Tsunami? Then what happened to Naruto?" Sakura asked no one in particular as Inari looked up at the pinkette, fearing that something bad could've happened to the blond.

Under the bridge

Naruto's head popped out of the water and he looked around before spotting one of the columns that were supporting the bridge, and he looked up to see said bridge.

"Whoa. Who'd have thought I'd come out here?" Naruto said.

"**Kid, there's something going on on that bridge. I can sense a lot of chakra signatures up there, and two of them are bigger than most of them combined."** The Kyubi said.

"Nani? So Zabuza decided to attack today?" Naruto asked.

"**Yes, it feels that way."** The Kyubi said.

"All right! I've been wanting to kick his butt!" Naruto said before swimming over to the nearest column and he ran up it.

As he approached the top, he leaped off the column, pulled out the vine-whip and swung it so that it wrapped itself around the railings. He then pulled himself towards the bridge before grabbing the railing and he looked over said railing to see that he was behind a large crowd. He then jumped over the railing, and surprisingly no one had noticed him yet.

'_Who are all these guys anyway?'_ Naruto thought.

"**Thugs… Probably Gato's men."** The Kyubi said.

'_Gato…!'_ Naruto thought with gritted teeth before unsheathing the Hakko Chakura To, and he also weaved a hand sign.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a large puff of smoke appeared a hundred clones, however this didn't go unheard by the thugs as they all looked over their shoulders to see an army of the blond.

"What the…?" One of the thugs said before getting punched by one of the clones.

"Hey, what's going on back there?" Gato asked as he turned around.

'_This chakra…'_ Kakashi thought as he smiled before pulling down his Hitai-ate, knowing that there was no longer a need for him to use the Sharingan.

'_It's the Courage brat.'_ Zabuza thought before charging forward as he saw his chance to kill Gato "I've got you now, Gato!"

Gato then turned around again just before his head got sliced off by Zabuza's Kubikiribocho.

"Ugh. Hey, Gato's dead!" One of the thugs who were holding Tsunami said and all the other thugs turned around just as Zabuza sent them all a wave of Killing-Instinct. They then turned back around, ready to flee, only to be stopped by the army of blonds, and they then jumped over the railings and down into the ocean as the thugs that were holding Tsunami let go of her and followed suit, trying to get away from the demon.

"Tsunami/Kaa-san!" Came the respective cries of Tazuna and Inari as they ran towards the woman before hugging her.

"Zabuza, what will you do now?" Kakashi asked as he approached the missing-nin.

"For now, I think I'll stay here till the bridge is finished, after that… I don't know. I guess we'll continue to travel and raise money so that we can launch another assault on the Mizukage." Zabuza said as Naruto – who had dispelled all his clones – walked over to them.

"Umm… Did I miss something?" He asked.

Forest

A man was walking through the forest, and towards the village as he said "Looks like Gato has finally been defeated. And the three Chosen Ones have appeared." The man then stepped out from behind a tree to reveal that he was none other than Inari's father, Kaiza.

Chapter preview

Giichi "Tazuna, it's a miracle!"…"It's Kaiza, he's alive!"

Inari/Tsunami "TOU-SAN/KAIZA!" (runs up and hugs him)

Naruto "Hey, what's the deal here? I thought you said that Inari's father was dead."

Kaiza "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura… in need to talk to you three privately."

Vaati "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Former Tani-nin, Yomi no Kaiza."

Kaiza "What I wanted to tell you is that you three are in terrible danger."

Character status

Naruto: Level: 10

Hearts: 4

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Oiroke, Harem, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: Hakko Chakura To, kunai, shuriken, vine-whip.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 10

Hearts: 4

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan.

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 3

Hearts: 3

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Wisdom.

Kakashi: Level: 45

Hearts: 29

Techniques: Raikiri, Magen: Narakumi, Doton: Shinju zanshu, Doton: Doryuheki, Doton: Moguragakure, Fuja hoin, Katon: Goukakyo, Genjutsu: Sharingan, Raiton: Kage Bunshin, Taju Kage Bunshin, Sennen Goroshi, Kage Bunshin, Kuchiyose, Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga, Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Human.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan.

Haku: level: 15

Hearts: 15

Techniques: Hissatsu hyoso, Makyo hyoso, Senatsu suisho.

Weapons: senbon.

Race: Hylian.

Kekkei Genkai: Hyoton.

Zabuza: Level: 45

Hearts: 29

Techniques: Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin, Sairento Kiringu, Suiro, Suiton: Daibakufu, Suiton: Suiryudan.

Weapons: Kubikiribocho.

Race: Sameha **(Kurama no Kyubi: A race I came up with just now, it basically means "Shark Teeth". The members of this race look human enough, but they've got sharp shark-like teeth, also note that some members of this race takes on a more fish-like appearance.)**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** That's it for this chappy, see you all next time. Oh, by the way. I had originally planned for this to be the last chapter in this arc, but it seems like there'll be one more after all, don't worry though, I'll still be doing the Chunin Exam arc.

**Flare:** You better be! I can't wait till I get some action!

**Aqua:** Shut up, and be patient for once, Flare!


	6. Former Tani-nin, Yomi no Kaiza

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Wave arc**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** This will be the last chapter of the Wave arc before we'll be moving on to the Chunin Exam arc.

**Naruto Sakura Uzumaki:** You do know that the usual Legend of Zelda villain is a Gerudo, not a Hylian, right?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** I never said that Sasuke's the villain, the fact that he's got the Triforce of Power doesn't necessarily mean that he's gonna become evil.

**Stallion6 of Deviantart:** Geez. Sakura disregards Naruto, and yet...she's the weakest link. The only reason she can even hit him is because he allows it...and then the question remains of how long until he becomes sick of it.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Actually, the reason she's able to hit him is because he's too stupid to get out of the way.

**SPark681:** awesome story sorry never posted a comment before I usually do that when I read up to where the author has left off for now. can't wait to see what happens next, keep up the great work!

**Kurama no Kyubi:** You too, huh?

**Guest:** you could try showing normal rpg stats like strenght, defense, hp, mp those sort of things you know to make things even more interesting for the characters

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Yes, I could, but that would be pretty hard for me, and besides, this is Zelda, so it's hearts, not HP.

**Guest:** since you're using hear containers in this story shouldn't you add heart container pieces?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Umm… Not to criticize you on your grammar, but you wrote the first "heart" wrong. Also, I guess I could do it, but most Heart Pieces in the Zelda games are obtained through side-quests, and I'm not planning on doing any side-quests in this story at the moment, but – if you want – I might have some Heart Pieces scattered around.

**Guest:** you should add some fairies and and great fairies

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Thanks for the suggestion.

**ChronoMitsurugi:** The point I am trying to make is that in a Naruto/LOZ xover, it is pretty damn obvious that Sasuke would end up with the triforce of power.

Irregardless of how you set it up, or how it supposedly passes down, Sasuke getting it is not "unlikely". Same with Sakura getting wisdom and Naruto getting courage. That can't be any more obvious.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Well, considering what kind of a story "Naruto" is, I completely agree with you on that, I was simply putting it from a logical standpoint. Of course there are several logical ways that Sasuke could have gotten it, the most probable being that Fugaku found out about it and extracted it from one of Madara's descendants, and from him it passed down to Itachi who then gave it to Sasuke at the night of the Uchiha Massacre. Of course this isn't how Sasuke really got it, but don't worry, how he got it will be revealed soon.

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God thought**

**Kakashi:** Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything.

Chapter 5: Former Tani-nin, Yomi no Kaiza

It had nearly been one day since the battle on the bridge, and Zabuza and Haku had decided to stay for a while, so Tazuna let them both stay at his house. Currently they were all finishing up breakfast as Tsunami washed the dishes.

"Thanks for the food, Tsunami-san. It was quite delicious." Haku said with a smile as he had finished eating.

"Well, thank you, Haku." Tsunami said as she took Haku's dish before glaring over at Zabuza who was leaning against the wall "If only someone else I know would have so good manners." And Zabuza only scoffed in response.

"Say, Haku." Naruto said, catching the ice user's attention "What will you and Zabuza do when you continue on your journey?"

"I don't know, maybe we'll look for another client that's willing to hire missing-nin." Haku said.

"I'd imagine most people who'd do that would be thugs." Tazuna said.

"Yes, but it's the only way we can raise enough money." Haku said.

"Enough money for what?" Sakura asked.

"To wage war against the Mizukage." Kakashi answered in Haku's stead.

"Wha…? Wage war against the Mizukage?" Sakura asked before looking at Zabuza "Why would you do that?"

"Tell me, girl, have you ever heard of the "Bloodline Purges"?" Zabuza asked.

""Bloodline Purges"?" Sakura asked.

"During times of war, Kekkei Genkai – like my Sharingan or Haku's Hyoton – are frequently used as great military sources. But during times of peace, Kekkei Genkai are feared, and people – specifically those in the Land of Water – started believing that as long as someone with a Kekkei Genkai was around, another war would start. So, the Mizukage authorized the extinction of anyone with a Kekkei Genkai. While the majority agreed with him, there were some who rebelled, thus starting a civil war." Kakashi explained.

"A civil war? Really?" Naruto asked.

"Exactly. The rebel group with the greatest progress so far is the one led by a Yoton user named Mei Terumi." Zabuza said.

"Then why not just join them instead of raising money to form your own army?" Sakura asked, but Zabuza just scoffed and looked away.

"Well, at any rate, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you please." Tazuna said before Sasuke rose up to his feet and walked towards the door.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to train." Sasuke said as he looked over his shoulder before continuing towards the door.

"Then I'm going too!" Naruto said as he got up on his feet as well.

"What? More training? But we've already beaten Gato." Sakura said.

"Actually, then this would be the perfect time to continue training." Kakashi said.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Since Gato's been beaten, we're not really needed here any longer, so we can give more focus to training. Plus, we don't know when we'll run into anyone else like Zabuza." Kakashi said.

"Hey, there's someone at the door." Sasuke said as he had opened the door.

Everyone then looked towards the door as Giichi – an old friend of Tazuna as well as one of the workers on the bridge – came in.

"Tazuna, it's a miracle!" Giichi said.

"Hmm? What is it, Giichi?" Tazuna asked.

"It's Kaiza, he's alive!" Giichi said and Tazuna's, Tsunami's and Inari's eyes widened.

"What?" Tazuna asked as Tsunami dropped the dish she was holding.

In the village

The villagers were all gathered around Kaiza, bombarding him with questions on how he was still alive.

"TOU-SAN/KAIZA!" Came the cries of Inari and Tsunami as they came running through the crowd before embracing Kaiza.

"Well, now. What's up with you two?" Kaiza said as Tsunami and Inari were crying out of happiness.

"Hey, what's the deal here? I thought you said that Inari's father was dead." Naruto said as he looked at Tazuna.

"Yeah. I don't get it either, but it seems that he's somehow still alive, even though Gato had him killed right in front our very eyes." Tazuna said.

"But he's standing here, right in front of our eyes, isn't he? So how…?" Sakura asked.

"What did you say his name was again?" Kakashi asked as he looked at Tazuna.

"Kaiza. Why?" Tazuna said as he looked at the Jonin.

"Oh, nothing." Kakashi said before looking over at Kaiza, deep in thought.

"Well, anyway. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, let's get to your training." Kakashi said as he started walking away, followed by his three students. As they passed Zabuza, Kakashi – making sure that no one else would hear – whispered "Zabuza, I need to talk to you later." However, what they didn't notice was that – as they were walking away – Kaiza was staring towards them.

'_If I'm not mistaking that's…'_ He thought.

Under the bridge

Kakashi and his three students were standing at the shore-line directly under the bridge with Kakashi standing in front of the Genin, facing them.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. I thought we were going to train, so what are we doing here?" Sakura asked.

"We will be training." Kakashi said.

"What kind of training are we going to do down here?" Naruto asked.

"We're going to walk on water." Kakashi said.

"Walk on water?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"That's right. Up till now, I've taught you how to increase your chakra control by climbing trees without using your hands by constantly channeling chakra out through the soles of your feet. But now we're taking it to the next level." Kakashi said.

"The next level?" Sakura asked.

"For tree climbing, you only need to gather a certain amount of chakra in a certain place and just maintain that set volume of chakra the whole time. Because the tree is a stationary object, all you have to do is keep your foot attached like a suction cup. It's an exercise that demonstrates how to produce and maintain a set amount of chakra. In order to walk on water, however, you have to continuously emit a tiny amount of chakra from your feet into the water's surface, constantly adjusting that amount to just allow your body to float. This type of chakra control is more difficult than mere maintenance and is a type of control exercise where you learn to regulate your expenditure of a fixed quantity of chakra." Kakashi explained.

"Hmm… I don't get it." Naruto said.

"Seriously, Naruto. How could you _not_ get it? It's so easy." Sakura said.

"Well, maybe it's better to show you." Kakashi said before weaving a hand sign as he channeled chakra into his feet before walking out on the water as he said "First, you gather chakra to the soles of your feet. Then, while you continuously emit a set amount, you fine-tune it to your body weight…"

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed before weaving a hand sign as he said "All right, I want to try it! First, chakra to my soles. And then release a set amount…" He then walked out on the water before falling right into it.

"Oh, and by the way, the water here's pretty cold." Kakashi said just before Naruto came up from the water and started to splash around.

"Cold! Cold! Cold!" He said and Kakashi sighed heavily, this was going to be a long day.

The three Genin continued training on mastering the water-walking exercise for the rest of the day, though Sakura got finished by lunch-time while Naruto and Sasuke kept at it till night time.

As it was getting late, Naruto had managed to get to the point where he could remain on the water's surface for 2 minutes while Sasuke was at the point where he could remain on the water's surface for 10 minutes.

"Sorry, but I've got somewhere else to be right now. Good luck." Kakashi said before puffing away.

"Hey, wait. Kakashi-sensei where are you going?" Naruto asked, but it was already too late.

Forest, tree-tops

Kaiza was in a crouching position atop one of the trees when Kakashi and Zabuza appeared in a shunshin behind him.

"So you came. Sharingan no Kakashi, Demon of Kiri, Momochi Zabuza." Kaiza said as he rose to his feet.

"So, I was right. You're Yomi no Kaiza, the right-hand man of the Yondaime Tanikage." Kakashi said.

"I knew I couldn't possibly fool you." Kaiza said before turning around and he said "Well, you got me. Yep, I'm Yomi no Kaiza alright."

"Then, what are you doing here? Why are you living in this village?" Zabuza asked before his eyes widened and he said "Could you…? Could it be that you're after those brats?"

"Hmm…? What brats? What are you talking about?" Kaiza asked.

"Don't play dumb with us, we know that you know who Zabuza's talking about." Kakashi said as he pulled up his Hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan.

"Well, maybe I do, or maybe I don't." Kaiza said.

Kakashi and Zabuza then charged at Kaiza with the latter grabbing his sword before swinging it. Kaiza dodged the massive blade before weaving a series of hand signs.

"Inton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A clone of Kaiza then appeared in a burst of darkness and each of the two Kaizas jumped towards the two other ninja.

"Katon: Goukakyo no Jutsu!" Kakashi said as he fired a fire ball from his mouth at one of the two Kaizas.

"Inton: Yomitate!" Suddenly a shield of darkness surrounded Kaiza and blocked the fire ball.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" Zabuza said and the whole area was enshrouded in a thick mist.

'_This fog…'_ Kaiza thought before Zabuza appeared on the tree behind him before slicing his massive sword straight through him. However, when the Kubikiribocho had sliced through Kaiza completely, he vanished in a burst of darkness.

'_So that was only the Kage Bunshin.'_ Zabuza thought.

"Inton: Yomiryudan no Jutsu!" Suddenly the shield around the original Kaiza formed into a dragon before said dragon charged towards Kakashi.

Kakashi managed to dodge it just in time however as the dragon went right past him before shooting down towards the ground and blowing up in a huge explosion of darkness.

'_That was close…'_ Kakashi thought.

"Impressive. You're the third person to have ever dodged the "Yomiryudan"." Kaiza said before smiling as he said "Looks like I can really trust you to protect the Chosen Ones."

"What do you mean?" Zabuza asked as he landed on a tree behind Kaiza "Aren't you after those three?"

"No. It's true that I was once a ninja of Tanigakure, but after a certain incident, I left the village." Kaiza said.

"What incident?" Kakashi asked.

"The incident when my master, the Yondaime Tanikage was murdered in cold-blood by his own son." Kaiza said, and Kakashi's and Zabuza's eyes widened.

"By his own son?" Kakashi asked.

"That's right. His son is the one who now calls himself Tanikage, Ganondorf. Kakashi-san, you should be careful. Ganondorf's after something that one of your students have." Kaiza said and Kakashi's eyes widened in realization "That's right, Ganondorf is after the Triforce of Power."

The next day

"That was delicious! I can't tell you how much I've missed your cooking, Tsunami-san." Kaiza said as he was done eating breakfast.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he looked around.

"Zabuza and Haku are missing too." Sakura said.

"Kakashi-san said that he was going to see if any of Gato's henchmen were still around. And Zabuza-san said that he and Haku had to leave immediately." Kaiza said.

"What? But Kakashi-sensei was supposed to be training us!" Naruto said.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura… I need to talk to you three privately." Kaiza said as he looked at them.

"Huh? What do you need to talk to them about, tou-san?" Inari asked.

"Oh. Don't worry about it. I'm just going to give them proper thanks for helping in taking down Gato." Kaiza said as he rose to his feet and walked towards the door before the three Genin followed him.

Forest

"So what was it that you brought us out here for?" Sasuke asked Kaiza as they were deep in the forest.

"What do you mean, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to give us proper thanks for helping in stopping Gato." Sakura said.

"Do you really think he would have brought us all the way out here for that?" Sasuke asked.

"Well…" Sakura started, but she was interrupted by Kaiza.

"Actually, Sasuke's right. There was another reason for why I wanted to talk to you three." He said as he leaned against a large rock.

"There is?" Naruto asked and Kaiza nodded.

"What I wanted to tell you is that you three are in terrible danger." He said.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"The current leader of the village, Tanigakure is after something, something that he believes is his birthright… the Triforce of Power." Kaiza said.

"The Triforce of Power?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm sure you know the legend about how the Triforce split into three pieces and went into the Hero, the Princess and the Villain, right?" Kaiza said and the three Genin nodded "Well, you see, the Triforce pieces passes down like a Kekkei Genkai. And the current leader of Tani, Ganondorf, is a direct descendant of the villain in the legend."

"Then, shouldn't he have the Triforce of Power already?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, except…" Kaiza said.

"Except what?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know the details, but it seems that someone once extracted the Triforce of Power from one of Ganondorf's ancestors." Kaiza said.

"Then, does that mean that it's in the hands of another clan?" Sakura asked and Kaiza nodded.

"Hmm… I still don't see what any of this has got to do with us." Naruto said.

"Hold out your hands." Kaiza said and the three did as they were told before the marks of the Triforce pieces appeared as the former Tani-nin continued "The Courage to overcome any obstacle, no matter how great." The mark on Naruto's hand then started glowing "The Wisdom to guide the world on the right path." The mark on Sakura's hand then started glowing "And the Power to face any opponent." The mark on Sasuke's hand then started glowing "These are the three powers granted by the Triforce. These are _your_ powers."

"Wait a minute. So you're saying that we're…?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. Except for Sasuke, you are the direct descendants of the original wielders of the Triforce pieces." Kaiza said.

"So, wait. Which one's the descendant of who?" Naruto asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto, you're the descendant of the Hero, and Sakura's the descendant of the Princess." Kaiza said.

"Sakura's a princess?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

"Looks that way." Sakura said as her inner self yelled **"Oh, yeah! Ino doesn't stand a chance against me now! Cha!"**

"Wait a minute, if Sasuke's the wielder of the Triforce of Power, then does that mean that…?" Naruto asked.

"I'm afraid so, Ganondorf is after him, and he'll stop at nothing till he gets what he wants. Trust me; I know that all too well." Kaiza said.

"Heh. Well, he's not getting this without a fight." Sasuke said as he held up his hand.

"You shouldn't be so cocky. Even when he was still a mere child, Ganondorf was even stronger than everyone else in the village other than his father, the Yondaime Tanikage." Kaiza said causing the three Genin's eyes to widen.

'_When he was still a child?'_ The three Genin thought simultaneously.

"But the threat of Ganondorf aside, there's something else you should be made aware of." Kaiza said.

"Huh? And what's that?" Naruto asked.

"This fight between good and evil is like a cycle, and the Triforce pieces are only said to appear whenever this cycle repeats itself." Kaiza said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Wait, are you saying that this cycle is about to repeat itself?" Sakura asked and Kaiza nodded.

"That's right. However, up till now, the Triforce of Power has always appeared in the hands of the Villain. So the cycle may finally be broken, or – depending on which path Sasuke chooses – this might just be another chapter in an unbreakable cycle." Kaiza said.

2 weeks later, bridge

A crowd was gathered at the now finished bridge to say goodbye to the Konoha-nins.

"Thanks to you, our bridge has finally been completed, but… it's going to be awfully dull around here, once you're gone." Tazuna said.

"We've enjoyed your hospitality." Kakashi said.

"No problemo, Tazuna-san, my man. We'll come back to play with you again sometime." Naruto said.

"You better…" Inari said as he was on the verge of crying.

"Inari… don't let it get you down. It's okay to cry, if you really want." Naruto said as he was also on the verge of crying.

"I'm not gonna cry! B-but Naruto-nii-san, y-you can cry! Go ahead!" Inari said.

"Me? No way. See you." Naruto said as he turned around just before both he and Inari were crying waterfalls.

'_Kids.'_ Sakura thought.

"**Heh. Pathetic."** Kyubi said within Naruto's head.

"That boy touched little Inari's heart… and he built the bridge that eventually carried us all to hope and courage." Tazuna said.

"And speaking of bridges, we still have to officially dedicate this one. And there's only one name that will truly fit." Kaiza said.

"What are we going to call it?" Giichi asked.

"How about… "The Great Naruto Bridge"?" Kaiza said.

"Hee hee… It's a nice name, Kaiza." Tsunami said.

"Are you sure? Calling it that…?" Giichi asked.

"Heh… Quite sure. You see, I hope that in giving it that name, we'll ensure that it will stand forever… Our bridge will become super-famous the world over, as a symbol of triumph and endurance. That's what I hope, and hopefully, that's how it'll be." Kaiza said.

Land of Valleys, Tani, Tanikage Tower, Tanikage Office

Ganondorf was sitting on his throne as there were eight people kneeling in front of him, two in front and six in back. The two in front were obviously Vaati and Agahnim, and three of the six in the back – the three that were behind Vaati – from right to left were Aqua, Ventus and Flare.

Behind Agahnim was a very muscular boy with brown hair, a brown robe, brown eyes, and he had a brown Hitai-ate with gold forehead protector with the symbol for Tani on it.

To his right was a girl with ice-blue skin, hair and eyes, she also wore a white robe, and had a white Hitai-ate with a gold forehead protector with the symbol for Tani on it.

The last one was a boy with spiky silver hair, silver eyes, a silver robe, a silver Hitai-ate with a gold forehead protector with the Tani symbol on it. There were also electrical charges appearing from time to time in-between the spikes of his hair, and he also had a metallic pole strapped to his back.

"As you probably already know, the Chunin Exams will soon be held in Konoha. There's no doubt in my mind that the Triforce wielders will participate, so I want you to enter the exams and test the three of them, see how strong they are. Do you understand your mission, Ventus, Flare, Aqua, Terra, Chilly, Ray?" Ganondorf said.

"HAI!" The six in the back said simultaneously.

Chapter preview

Kankuro "What a wimp. Is that the best Konoha's Genin can do?"

Gaara "It annoys me that you'd lose control in a quarrel with children. Have you forgotten why we came here?"

Lee "My name is Rock Lee. Among sticklers, etiquette requires one to introduce oneself before asking the name of another… Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: The Chunin Exams."

Hiruzen "Seven days from now, on July 1st, we shall begin conducting the Chunin Exams."

Character status

Naruto: Level: 10

Hearts: 4

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Oiroke, Harem, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: Hakko Chakura To, kunai, shuriken, vine-whip.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 10

Hearts: 4

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan.

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 3

Hearts: 3

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Wisdom.

Kakashi: Level: 45

Hearts: 29

Techniques: Raikiri, Magen: Narakumi, Doton: Shinju zanshu, Doton: Doryuheki, Doton: Moguragakure, Fuja hoin, Katon: Goukakyo, Genjutsu: Sharingan, Raiton: Kage Bunshin, Taju Kage Bunshin, Sennen Goroshi, Kage Bunshin, Kuchiyose, Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga, Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Human.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan.

Zabuza: Level: 45

Hearts: 29

Techniques: Kirigakure, Mizu Bunshin, Sairento Kiringu, Suiton: Suiro, Suiton: Daibakufu, Suiton: Suiryudan.

Weapons: Kubikiribocho.

Race: Sameha.

Kaiza: Level: 59

Hearts: 33

Techniques: Inton: Kage Bunshin, Inton: Yomitate, Inton: Yomiryudan.

Weapons: none

Race: Gerudo.

Kekkei Genkai: Inton.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Next chapter the Chunin Exams will finally start, and things don't really seem too good for our heroes considering that six Tani Genin are gonna enter, and we'll finally find out what kind of powers those guys have… though their powers might not be revealed till the preliminaries which are still a few chapters off.


	7. The Chunin Exams

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Chunin Exam arc**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** We've finally gotten to the Chunin Exam arc, and in this arc another one of the Sages will be revealed, and the three Chosen Ones will get a greater understanding of the cycle which have been going on for thousands of years. There will also be several Zelda characters appearing, and someone from Kakashi's past will appear.

**Stallion6 of Deviantart:** The million dollar question arises...does the cycle continue...

**Kurama no Kyubi:** That depends on what Sasuke chooses to do with his life. Whether he'll stay good, or turn evil.

**Guest:** For the pieces of gear that our young hero should attain in the future I would suggest some sort of extendable spear for clearing gapes, immoblizing tough enemies and opening gates. As for the people that you've got attending the chunnin exam you read my mind about sending some of Ganondorf's force's to attend the chunnin exams to give our trio of young hero's an idea about what they're up against. As for when Naruto potentially obtains the master I should say the not only should he weild that sword but also the blade he obtained as a gift from the goddess who chose to bestow her triforce to him simultanously in terms of having an equal measure of offence and defense at his disposal. As for spells and other abilities that our triforce bearing hero's as result of the triforce's they possess for Naruto I would go with him possessing Farore's wind to enhance his speed and strenght in battle but also giving him the power to heal his comrades understanding the forces of nature I.E understanding the forces of nature and purifing that which has been poisoned by dark forces because of the fact that according to hylian legends 101 it goes like this Din made the world, Naryu gave the world laws while Farore created lifeforms to inhabit the world they created and live by those laws thus making the godess of courage the goddess of life and thus giving Naruto some power to help and heal his commrades and himself although it may not be a totally perfect means of healing but more than enough to ensure that his friends and himself have something to keep them together till either the battle's over and their out of harms way or professional help arrives to treat their injuries which ever comes first. where as for Sakura I would place hero magic as being more of a support\medic type in terms of healing her commrades and lending them an extra boost when they need it.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Whoa. That's a lot. Oh, and by the way, I had already planned some of these things already. Though I must say that you also gave me some pretty good ideas, I'll keep them in mind.

**Guest:** when we get to the chunnin exams why don't we spice thing up a bit in terms of when orchimaru joins the party and trys to mark sasuke as his new potential vessal due to the young gennin possessing the triforce of power it cause orchimaru's curse mark to backfire in the sense that the snake sannin get's a bit burnt due to the pure power that the triforce possesses thus making it something that goes beyond the reach of the immortal mad man whose insationable hunger for knowledge, power and immortality and infuriating the snake sannin to great length that he decides that he should just kill the Uchiha and his teamates there and then without a second thought due the fact that his potential host is unattainable luckily our young trio manage to force that snake to make a tactical retreat via the power of their respective triforces.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Actually, even with the combined powers of the Triforce pieces, at the level which team 7 is currently at, they still wouldn't stand a chance against a Kage-level ninja. But I liked your idea, however Orochimaru wouldn't want to kill Sasuke, he'd rather want to study him to unlock the secrets of the Triforce… and possibly even obtaining its powers.

**Guest:** since the sword hakko chakura to has a gemstone as apart of it should add other gems for Naruto to obtain over the course of the story to change the properties of that sword making it a very versitile weapon for our young hero.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** I had already fought of that.

**Naruto Sakura Uzumaki:** Who are Agahnim, Flare, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, Chilly, and Ray? And where are they from (what videogames)? I already know who Vaati is. He is from "The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap" and from "The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Vaati actually has three appearances. But, anyway. Agahnim is from "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past", and as for the others, they're my own OCs.

**Guest:** you know compared to young link or any link when they start their journey for that matter your naruto is kinda weak and this story seems like a bash naruto story and praise sakura story she finishes tree climbing first then finishing water walking in half a day she has triforce of wisdom and is related to zelda when they are nothing alike she is a bitch none of the many zelda are not every other girl naruto deserses triforce of wisdom more than her she is a irredemable character she gets triforce of wisdom cause shes team 7 and you can't diverge from canon cause look at your team 7 copy and paste this ls fanfiction not canonfiction be original.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** I take it that you're one of the many Sakura haters, right? Well, the reason she got done with tree-climbing and water-walking so quickly is because of her excellent chakra control, which even excels Sasuke's. Also Naruto is not weak compared to Link, in fact, there's only ever been one Link to have faced a "Kage-level" opponent so early in his journey, the one from Skyward Sword, and he only won because Ghirahim pretty much let him win. Of course, you can't quite compare Zabuza to Ghirahim, but I would think that Zabuza at full power would be at about the same level as Ghirahim's 2nd form.

**ChronoMitsurugi:** Yes! We are finally on the same wavelength. Phew.

Keep up the great work.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** I never said that we weren't, I only tried to explain things from a logical point-of-view. But how the Triforce pieces ended up in Sasuke's possession will be explain during this arc, so you can look forward to that.

**Thereviewer:** This is a review of the 2nd greatest story on fanfiction.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Really? Which one's the greatest?

**ImagineBreaker7:** This story is amazing I love it. I like the ideas that you brought into this story like giving Sasuke the Mangekyo now and giving Naruto Kakashi's tanto. (although that one I did not see coming at all) Fu being a sage is an interesting idea as well. I am curious about the pairings if you intend to make this a harem or you are not making this a Naruto x Farore pairing then can the pairing be Naruto x Fu? I love that pairing. Although I like the idea of Naruto with Farore as well I hope the pairing will be something like that.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Well, Sasuke may have the Mangekyo, but he'll still have to learn to control it. As for the pairings, well, I _am_ going to have it be Naruto x Farore.

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God thought**

**Naruto:** Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything.

Chapter 6: The Chunin Exams

"Hey! I think I can see the gate!" Naruto said as the four ninja finally approached the gates of Konohagakure no Sato after about a week of travel since they left the Land of Waves.

"About time." Sasuke said before thinking '_Now I can finally start deciphering the tablet at the Nakano Shrine with my Sharingan.'_ **(Kurama no Kyubi: Note that he doesn't know that he's awakened the Mangekyo yet, since he pretty much have no memory of when he awakened it.)**

"Before any of you start going off on your own, remember that you have to come with me to deliver the report to Hokage-sama." Kakashi said.

"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked.

"Did you forget already? Kakashi-sensei's already told us that we need to be there when we tell Hokage-sama about the Tri…" Sakura yelled, but she was cut off when Sasuke put his hand over her mouth.

"Shut up, will you? You almost announced "you-know-what" to any possible by-standers." He whispered so that no one outside of their group would hear.

"G-gomen nasai…" Sakura said after Sasuke had removed his hand.

Time-Skip, about 30 minutes later, Konoha, Hokage Tower

As they approached the door to the Hokage Office, they suddenly heard voices from the other side, though they couldn't make out what they were saying. Kakashi then knocked on the door.

"Come in." Hiruzen said from th other side, and Kakashi opened the door before walking in, followed by his students.

The sight that awaited them was… unexpected, to say the least. There were three small balls of light with four insect-like wings each on Hiruzen's desk. One of the balls was blue, another one was yellow, and the last one was purple with a hint of red at the edges of the light.

Upon closer inspection, however, it appeared that the three balls of light actually were tiny, humanoid creatures that were glowing. The blue and yellow ones were apparently female while the purple one was male. Another thing that caught the four ninja's attention was the fact that the three creatures were all completely naked. **(Kurama no Kyubi: Fairies don't actually wear any clothes, the only reason why they do in stories like the Legend of Zelda is so that those stories will appear more kid-friendly.)**

"Are those the ones?" The blue one asked with slight skepticism in her voice as she and the other two turned to look at the team of three Genin and one Jonin as Kakashi closed the door behind them.

"What the…?" Naruto said dumbfounded at the fact that she could talk.

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi said as he looked at his leader with a questioning look.

Hiruzen then took a puff of his pipe before saying "I'm not entirely sure myself. These three "Fairies", as they call themselves, came here a short while ago and said that they were sent here by the Great Deku Tree to watch over the "Chosen Ones"."

"Wait, back up a little, will you? Fairies? I thought those only existed in Fairy-Tales!" Sakura said.

"Well, apparently you were wrong." The purple one said.

"I was surprised about that too. And I don't know anything about these "Chosen Ones" other than what the Legend of the Triforce say, but the Great Deku Tree is a large tree which lives at the center of the forest, and it is said that all of the other trees in the forest grows from the same roots as it." Hiruzen said.

"That's Great Deku Tree-sama, alright." The yellow one said.

"Those "Chosen Ones", could they be the wielders of the Triforce pieces?" Sasuke asked with narrowed eyes.

"Why, yes." The yellow one said.

"Well, that'd be us." Naruto said, causing Hiruzen's and the three Fairies' eyes to widen before the Fairies started laughing "Hey, what's so funny?"

"The three of you? That's ridiculous, you three look like total dimwits!" The purple one laughed.

"What was that?" Naruto yelled as he raised his fist just before the Triforce mark appeared.

"That's…" Hiruzen said, having hardly believed Naruto himself. This also caused the Fairies to stop laughing as they looked at the back of the boy's hand.

"The Triforce of Courage…" The blue one said before Sasuke and Sakura both raised their hands so that they showed the back of said hands as their respective Triforce marks appeared.

"The Triforce of Power…" The purple one said.

"The Triforce of Wisdom…" The yellow one said before the three Fairies looked at each other and nodded before each of them flew up to the head of each of the Triforce wielders. The blue one flew up to Naruto, who seemed to have calmed down, the purple one flew up to Sasuke, and the yellow one flew up to Sakura.

"From now on, the three of us will follow you wherever you go. The name's Navi, by the way." The blue one said.

"Hello there, buddy, I'm Tael." The purple one said.

"And I'm Tatl." The yellow one said.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the man who'll be the next Hokage!" Naruto announced.

"Keep on dreaming." Tael said as he looked towards the blond.

"Tsk. Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke said.

"And I'm Haruno Sakura." Sakura said.

Shortly afterwards, the three Genin were walking through the streets of Konoha as the Fairies were hovering near their heads.

"I still can't believe that Fairies actually exists." Sakura said.

"And it's more believable that the three of us have the power to change the world?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm… You've got a point there." Sakura said before Sasuke went off in another direction.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"There's something I need to take care of." Sasuke said without looking at her as he kept on walking.

"Hey, Sasuke! Wait up!" Tael called out as he flew after the boy before landing atop said boy's head "You know – just between the two of us – I think that pink-haired girl likes you."

"Tsk. I couldn't care less about how she feels." Sasuke said.

"And… they're gone." Tatl said as she landed so that she was now sitting on Sakura's shoulder before she turned her head to said girl "What now?"

"Well, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm gonna go and get some training done." Naruto said as he started walking away and towards the training fields, but he hadn't gotten far when Navi noticed something strange.

"Hey, Naruto, listen." Naruto turned to her to see that she was pointing at something behind him, and turning around, he saw that there was a small rectangular rock behind him with perfect angles, perfect corners, and even eye-holes.

"What rock has perfect angles, perfect corners, and eye-holes?" Navi asked.

"Hmm… I don't know. A fake one…?" Naruto suggested before three kids suddenly crawled out from the… box.

One of them – the one who seemed to be the leader of the three – was obviously a Hylian, as shown by his long and pointy ears. The other boy of the trio was a Human, and the sole girl of the group seemed to be of the avian Rito-Tribe as shown by her feather-covered body and beak-like nose. **(Kurama no Kyubi: Don't ask why I had Moegi be a Rito. I actually wondered whether I should make her a Rito or a Zora, though I eventually went with the former, figuring that I could do something with that later.)**

"Leave it to the man I have acknowledged as being almost my equal! Your skills rival my own." The single Hylian boy amongst the trio said.

"Oh, it's you guys." Naruto said.

"Your skills rival his?" Navi asked as she looked at Naruto while pointing at Konohamaru before saying "I had a feeling you were weak, but this is just ridiculous." Naruto was about to retort, but Konohamaru interrupted him.

"Huh? Hey, what the heck's that thing?" The boy asked as he pointed at Navi as Udon and Moegi also looked up at the small Fairy.

"How rude. I'm not a thing, I'm a Fairy." Navi said as she landed on Naruto's shoulder.

"A Fairy?" Konohamaru asked.

"But I thought that Fairies only existed in Fairy Tales." Moegi said.

"Well, you thought wrong." Navi said.

"What do you guys want anyway?" Naruto asked.

"We'll show you, boss. Can you come now?" Moegi said.

"Nope! I have to train." Naruto said.

"But… but you promised to play ninja with us! Right?" Konohamaru said.

"A ninja… playing ninja?" Navi said before she burst out in laughter "That's… the… stupidest thing… I've ever heard."

"So… just what is a ninja doing "playing ninja", hmm?" Sakura asked as she approached them as Tatl was sitting on her shoulder.

"Hey, who's the pretty girl with the huge forehead?" Konohamaru asked, and – sensing danger – Navi stopped laughing before flying over to Sakura and sat down on the opposite shoulder from where Tatl was sitting.

The next thing anyone knew was that Naruto and the three academy students were running for their lives as Sakura was chasing them, well that is until Konohamaru bumped into none other than the Suna-nin, Kankuro.

"That's gotta smart." Kankuro said.

Nakano Shrine

Sasuke and Tael walked up towards the entrance to the Nakano Shrine, where the Uchiha clan used to have meetings. Well, that is, Sasuke walked, Tael on the other hand was sitting in the boy's hair.

"Wait out here." Sasuke said as he stopped before the entrance.

"Huh? Why?" Tael asked.

"Because I tell you to." Sasuke said as he grabbed the small Fairy and put him down on a small rock before he entered the shrine.

After entering, Sasuke walked over to the seventh tatami mat on the far left of the room before moving it away to reveal a secret stairway. He then walked down the stairs until he eventually reached a small chamber with a stone tablet hanging on the wall.

The last Uchiha in Konoha then walked over to the tablet as he activated his Sharingan and started reading the ancient Hylian letters that were on the tablet.

With Naruto and the others

"Konohamaru!" Naruto said as Kankuro was holding up the young Hylian boy by the collar.

"That hurt, snotface." He said.

"Knock it off. You're gonna get it as it is." Temari said.

"It was my fault. I was fooling around…" Sakura said before thinking '_Who are these people?'_

"Put him down, you big ape!" Naruto yelled.

'_These guys must be Genin from Konoha.'_ Kankuro thought as he noticed Naruto's Hitai-ate before saying "I just want to play with him a little… while we're waiting for the nuisance to get here."

"YOU…!" Naruto yelled as he charged towards the older boy, but then he suddenly tripped on something a fell down on his back '_What was that?'_

"What a wimp. Is that the best Konoha's Genin can do?" Kankuro asked.

'_Th-they're foreigners. Why are they here?'_ Sakura thought.

Hokage Tower, Hokage Office

In the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower was Hiruzen currently seated at his desk as several Jonin – including Kakashi – were gathered before him.

"Seeing whom I invited here, you may be able to guess what we are here to discuss." Hiruzen said.

"Is it time already?" Kakashi asked.

"Have you informed the lords of the other lands yet? Because I believe I have already seen some of them in our village. When is it to be?" Genma asked.

"One week from today." Hiruzen said.

"Isn't this rather sudden?" Genma said.

"To make it completely official, I hereby announce… seven days from now, on July 1st, we shall begin conducting the Chunin Exams." Hiruzen said.

With Naruto and the others

"Konohamaru!" Udon and Moegi yelled.

"Hey! You in the black pig suit! Release him now and I'll go easy on you, goon!" Naruto yelled before Sakura suddenly held him in a head-lock.

"_You're_ the goon! Do you want that guy to beat you up?" Sakura whispered.

"You're starting to annoy me. First off, I'm allergic to "shrimp". Bad enough that you're a short little kid… you're disrespecting your elders. You make me want to kill him." Kankuro said.

"Nani?" Naruto said in surprise.

"I… will not be held responsible for this…" Temari said.

"YOU…!" Naruto said.

'_Who _is_ he? This is so not good.'_ Sakura thought.

"So I'll finish with this shrimp… and move on to the jumbo shrimp over there." Kankuro said as he prepared to punch Konohamaru, but just then as he thrusted his fist towards the young Hylian, something or someone suddenly grabbed his wrist so hard that he was forced to release Konohamaru.

"Why don't you rather pick on someone your own size?" Kankuro – as well as everyone else – looked towards the one who'd grabbed him to see none other than the Tani-nin, Terra.

Hokage Tower, Hokage Office

"Now then… We'd like to hear first from those who have overseen the training of our newest Genin." Hiruzen said and Kakashi along with two other Jonin stepped forward "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. Tell us… do any of you have – among your charges – any Genin you'd recommend for this year's Chunin exams? … That before we even consider them, they must have completed a minimum of eight missions. Beyond that, employ your own judgment as to whether they are ready to aspire to the next level. To be truly competitive, candidates should probably have completed at least double the recommended number of missions…"

'_He shouldn't be asking this yet… It's too soon for _any_ of them.'_ Iruka thought.

"You may begin, Kakashi." Hiruzen said, and Kakashi held his right hand in in the spar sign.

"Team number 7 – led by Kakashi – consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura. I vow upon the honor of my clan, the Hatake, that all three of them are ready for the Chunin Exam." He said.

"Nani?" Iruka said surprised.

"Team number 8 – led by Kurenai – consists of Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. I vow upon my own clan, the Yuhi, that I am as certain as my esteemed colleague that all three are ready for the Chunin Exams." Kurenai said.

"Team number 10 – led by Asuma – consists of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji. I vow upon my clan, the Sarutobi, that I am equally as certain that all three are ready for the Chunin Exam." Asuma said.

"How unusual for all three of you to have hesitatingly assented…" Hiruzen said.

"J-just a moment." Iruka said.

"Yes, Iruka?" Hiruzen asked.

"Hokage-sama. Please allow me to speak. Forgive me if I overstep, but all of the nine students just named were my students while they were at the academy. Certainly, they are all gifted and show both commitment and talent… but it's too soon for kids that young to be stepping up to the Chunin level. Only with time will they have the kind of experience and maturity those exams require. I don't understand why their supervisors can't see that." Iruka said.

"I was six years younger than Naruto when I attained the rank of Chunin, Iruka." Kakashi said.

"Naruto's not like you! Do you want to destroy those children? You know what they call the Chunin Exams, don't you?" Iruka yelled.

"They gripe about every detail of every mission. Just for once, I think it would do them good to find out what real pain is… Let's admit it. Breaking them would be fun." Kakashi said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Iruka asked.

"… It was a joke, Iruka. I understand you… and I'm sorry if my recommendation upsets you. But I stand by it." Kakashi said.

"But…" Iruka began.

"Kakashi… can we finish with this?" Kurenai asked.

"It's none of your business, anyway. They're not your students anymore, they are soldiers under my command." Kakashi said, silencing Iruka.

'_What a pest.'_ Asuma thought.

With Naruto and the others

"Hey, Konohamaru, are you all right?" Moegi asked as she and Udon ran over to the young Hylian.

"Yeah…" Konohamaru said before looking up at Terra before he and the other two ran back over to Naruto and Sakura.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Kankuro asked.

"Who I am is none of your concern, but I suggest that you leave now." Terra said as he let go of Kankuro's wrist before said Suna-nin jumped back and grabbed the bandaged object which was strapped to his back before putting it on the ground.

"You're going to use the crow?" Temari asked, catching Terra's attention.

"Well, aren't you a pretty lady." Terra said as he was suddenly on his knees in front of the blond Suna-nin while holding up a rose "If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you please tell me your name?"

"Uh… It's Sabaku no Temari…" Temari said.

"Hey, you. Step away from my sister." Kankuro said.

"Huh? Are you still here?" Terra asked as he looked at Kankuro with an uncaring look on his face, just then however, a wave of sand crashed into him.

"Nani?" Naruto, Sakura, their Fairies, and the Konohamaru corp exclaimed.

'_Oh, shit!'_ Kankuro thought.

'_Don't tell me.'_ Temari thought before everyone looked up towards where the sand had come from to see Gaara standing on the branch of a tree "Gaara!"

"Man, that stung." Everyone's eyes widened as they looked towards Terra who rose out of the sand.

'_Impossible! He can still stand after being hit by Gaara's sand? He shouldn't even be able to move!'_ Kankuro thought.

Terra then noticed something and he immediately leapt backwards as the sand shot towards him. He had covered about half the distance between the people from Suna and Konoha before the sand managed to grab his right arm and then quickly managed to cover his entire body.

"Sabaku Kyu!" Gaara said before closing his open palm into a fist "Sabaku Soso!" The sand then imploded in on itself, seemingly crushing everything within.

"D-did he kill him…?" Navi asked.

"He must have… It doesn't seem possible that anyone could have survived that." Sakura said.

"Quite an impressive technique. It would have killed any normal person." Everyone's eyes widened as an arm suddenly burst out from the sand followed by the rest of Terra as the sand fell down to the ground "Just too bad for you that I'm not any normal person."

Gaara then shunshined down to the ground in front of his siblings before looking over his shoulder at Kankuro and saying "It annoys me that you'd lose control in a quarrel with children. Have you forgotten why we came here?" He then looked at the people of Konoha "I'm sorry about my teammates." He then turned around "I know we're a little early, but we didn't come here to play around. Let's go."

"Wait!" Sakura said, causing Gaara to turn back around.

"Yes?" He asked.

"According to your Hitai-ates, you three come from Sunagakure no Sato. Your country is one of Konoha's allies, but according to our treaty, your ninja are not permitted to cross the border without authorization. State your business. We can't just let you go your merry way." Sakura said.

"… Ever heard the old saying about it being darkest at the base of the brightest lighthouse?" Temari asked as she held up her travel papers "Weren't you informed? As you guessed, we're Genin ninja from Sunagakure. We're here to take the Chunin Exam."

"… What's the Chunin Exam?" Naruto asked.

"The Chunin Exams are a set of tests that are designed to point out candidates worthy of the title of "Chunin". The idea was originally established by your village's Shodai Hokage." Terra said, without taking his eyes off the Suna-nins "Twice a year, the exams are held in one of the many Hidden Villages for the Genin in both that village and the others to compete in, though I've never heard of a time when all villages have participated in it. Also, the tests always differ depending on who the proctor is."

"Hey, maybe I should enter this Chunin Exam too, huh?" Naruto said before looking at Navi "What do you think?" Then Navi punched him, though he hardly felt it.

"Get real. Like a weakling like you could even enter the exams!" She yelled.

"Hmm… by the way. I was wondering… Who are you?" Terra asked as he looked at Gaara.

"Sabaku no Gaara at your service." Gaara said before asking "And you are…?"

"Tsuchi Terra." Terra said with a smirk.

"Let's go." Gaara said as he turned around before he and his siblings shunshined away.

Terra then turned around before laying eyes on Sakura, said eyes suddenly turning into hearts as he was suddenly kneeling in front of Sakura as he held up a rose.

"Hello there, my princess. Might I offer you this rose as I ask your name?" He asked.

"Umm… Thanks…" Sakura said as she took the rose before saying "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Sakura, hmm? What a lovely name. Say, what do you say to you and me…" Terra started, but he was cut off by Sakura as she punched him so hard that he was sent flying into the wall.

"In your dreams!" She said, having figured out what he was getting at. However, then she just realized that her hand now hurt like hell "Damn. It feels like I just hit a brick wall."

"That brick wall's my head. Ugh…" Terra said as he was lying on the ground.

What none of them noticed was that there were three people watching them from a tree.

"What do you think?" One of them asked.

"None of them are of any importance, except the Tani Lover-Boy and the spook from Suna. Keep an eye on them." Another one said.

On the roof of a building a little ways away were Terra's teammates, Chilly and Ray standing. Well, Ray was standing while Chilly was sitting at the edge of the roof.

"That damned Terra. I was hoping that that Suna-nin would kill that brat, I wanted to see some blood being spilt!" Chilly whined.

"Says a girl that finishes off her opponents in a way that makes it impossible to spill any blood." Ray said before taking a step forward "Besides, Terra hates to just stand by when someone weak is getting beaten. He even hates to fight those weaker than himself."

"But still, why does he have to ruin all the fun like that…" Chilly said.

"Hmm?" Ray suddenly felt something.

"What is it?" Chilly asked as she looked up at him.

"A storm is coming…" Ray said.

"A storm?" Chilly asked in disbelief before looking up at the sky "Don't be silly, the sky's completely clear, not a cloud in sight."

"Not that kind of storm." Ray said, catching Chilly's attention "It's still pretty far off, but when it hits, it's gonna hit like a hurricane." **(Kurama no Kyubi: Can anyone guess what kind of storm Ray's talking about?)**

With Naruto and the others

Later on, Naruto and Sakura were walking down a street as their respective Fairies were sitting on their shoulders.

"Naruto, did you see the mark on the Hitai-ate of that Terra guy?" Navi asked.

"Hmm? No, why?" Naruto asked.

"Now that you mention it… It was three triangles in a triangular formation, wasn't it?" Sakura asked.

"Nani? Are you serious?" Tatl gasped as she nearly fell off Sakura's shoulder.

"Huh? Is there something wrong with that?" Sakura asked.

"That's the mark of the Triforce! It's also the mark of Tanigakure no Sato!" Tatl said as she flew up in front of Sakura's face.

"NANI?" Both Naruto and Sakura exclaimed, causing a lot of people around them to look their way before shaking it off and continuing what they were previously doing.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"Mm-hmm. They used to have the image of a valley, but the Godaime changed it because he'd always believed that the Triforce rightfully belongs to him. Great Deku Tree-sama told us that Ganondorf would stop at nothing to attain all three pieces." Navi said as she also flew in front of them.

"So that guy was the enemy?" Naruto asked before looking over his shoulder, back towards where they'd come from "He didn't seem like a bad guy."

"That's true, he did feel different from what I'd imagined from one of Ganondorf's followers, but you still can't let down your guard around him. Plus, he might already know of who you are, and might be planning to get close to you, in order to lead you into a trap." Navi said.

"Really? He didn't seem like the guy to figure something like that out so quickly." Naruto said.

Time-Skip, 6 days later, Team 7 meeting place

"Argh! Where is that sensei of yours?" Navi complained as she was lying on her back atop Naruto's head.

The three Hylians and three Fairies had already waited there for over three whole hours for Kakashi to show up.

"Morning, guys." Kakashi said as he appeared before saying "Today, I wandered a bit from the path of life…"

"You are such a liar! Would it kill you to at least _pretend_ to be sorry?" Naruto, Sakura, and the Fairies yelled.

"In any case… This may surprise you, but I've recommended all three of you for the Chunin Exam." Kakashi said.

"Say what?" Sakura yelled.

"Good one, sensei. You almost had us." Naruto said.

"You have to fill out applications." Kakashi said as he held out three sheets of paper.

"Kakashi-sensei, I love you!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped up and hugged Kakashi.

"Get off… You're embarrassing me." Kakashi said.

Shortly after were the three Genin standing – or sitting in Naruto's case – in front of Kakashi as they were looking at the papers.

"If any of you don't wish to compete, the exam is entirely voluntary. The choice is yours. You needn't turn in those application forms unless you want to. If you do, report to room 301 at the school by 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. That's all." Kakashi said before shunshining away.

"Dum-di-di-duh… The Chunin Exam." Naruto said as he and his teammates were walking back home "I'll bet there'll be a lot of tough competition. Like him." He then thought of Kankuro "Or that other one." He thought of Terra before thinking '_I swear I am not gonna let anyone beat me.'_

'_The Chunin Exams… I bet there's gonna be a lot of tough competition.'_ Sasuke thought.

'_The Chunin Exam… If we enter, then we might have to face off against those Suna-nins, or maybe even that Terra guy.'_ Sakura thought.

Time-Skip, the next day, Ninja Academy

The next day, they met outside the Ninja Academy before entering said building. As they reached the second floor, they spotted a large crowd gathered in front of a door with a sign that said "301". There were also two kids – presumably Genin – that were blocking to path.

"Is someone as talentless as you really planning to take the Chunin Exams? Why bother? Bunch of wet-behind-the-ears snotnoses." One of them said as he had just pushed away one of the applicants from Konoha.

"You said it." The other one said.

"Please… We're begging you… Let us in." A girl said before walking towards them, but she was just smacked aside.

"… That's just cruel…" One of the others in the crowd said.

"What did you say?" One of the kids asked before saying "You misunderstand. We're just trying to spare you… The Chunin Exam is incredibly difficult… and we should know. We've failed three times so far. There are people who made it, then immediately gave up being shinobi… others who ended up crippled… some reduced to vegetables… we've seen it all. Besides that, Chunin are team leaders. They lead their units. The responsibilities for failed missions and dead shinobi rest firmly on their shoulders. And you little punks have the nerve to apply? We're saving a step by weeding out the obvious losers beforehand."

"That sounds good in theory, but you'd better let us through. And drop the Genjutsu you've created, while you're at it. We have business on the third floor." Sasuke said as he and the others approached.

"So you figured that out, eh?" One of the kids said.

"It was easy. Right, Sakura?" Sasuke said.

"Of course. Obviously we're still on the second floor." Sakura said before the Genjutsu was dropped to reveal that it was actually room 201.

"Hey… Not bad. But just seeing through it isn't… ENOUGH!" One of the kids said as he came at Sasuke, preparing to kick him, and Sasuke moved his own leg to block the guy's kick with a kick of his own. Just then, however, the one who'd been pushed away when team 7 first got their appeared between them and blocked both of their kicks with his hands.

'_He's so fast. He perceived the attack patterns on both sides and planted himself at the nexus of both their kicks… is that even possible? He's a completely different person from the boy who was getting beaten up just a minute ago.'_ Sakura thought as the boy let go of both of them.

'_He _blocked_ my kick. But there's something weird about his chakra.'_ Sasuke thought.

"Hey… That's not what we agreed. You're the one who insisted we should avoid from drawing attention to ourselves." A boy with pale eyes said.

"… B-but…" The boy who had blocked Sasuke's and the other kid's kick earlier said before he looked towards Sakura and blushed.

"Here we go again…" The girl who'd been smacked away by one of the two kids earlier said before the boy walked over to Sakura.

"Hi. My name is Rock Lee. You're Sakura, aren't you? Would you like to go out with me? I'll protect you with my life." The boy, now identified as Lee said.

"No… way. You are _way_ out of hand." Sakura said, causing Lee's head to slump.

"Hey, you." The pale-eyed boy said as he approached Sasuke "What's your name?"

"Huh, me? I'm Tael." Tael said as he flew next to Sasuke's head.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name first." Sasuke said as both he and the other boy were ignoring the Fairy.

"You're a rookie, aren't you? How old?" The pale-eyed boy asked.

"I don't have to tell you a thing." Sasuke said before both he and the other boy turned around and walked their separate ways.

"Hey, don't you want to know how old I am? Hello, anyone?" Tael asked as he looked around before grumbled something in Hylian as he flew after Sasuke.

'_This exam… is turning into a freak show.'_ Sasuke thought.

"Now. Sasuke-kun, Naruto, let's go." Sakura said as she grabbed Sasuke's and Naruto's hands before pulling them with her.

"Let's go, Lee. What are you doing?" The female member of Lee's team asked as she noticed Lee looking at the retreating backs of the members of team 7.

"You guys… go on ahead. There's something I want to check first." Lee said.

What none of them noticed, however, was that among the crowd there were three people that'd been watching them the whole time, the Tani-nins, Ventus, Flare, and Aqua.

"So, it seems that the Triforce wielders are taking part in the exams after all." Ventus said.

"Heh, yosh. I can't wait till I get to fight them." Flare said.

"Calm down, Flare. We can't go and kill them yet." Aqua said.

"When can we kill them, then?" Flare asked.

"When the exam proctors gives us permission to kill." Ventus said.

"Like that'll ever happen. I heard that the shinobi of Konoha are a bunch of big softies." The three of them turned around to see that the one that had spoken was none other than Chilly, and next to her were Terra and Ray.

"Terra…" Ventus said as he glared at his fellow pre-teen.

"Ventus…" Terra said as he returned the glare and the others could have sworn that they saw sparks of electricity fly in-between them.

"What're you doing here, Chilly? We don't need help, especially not _yours_." Flare said as he glared at Chilly.

"Funny. I was just about to tell you the same thing, Flare." Chilly said as she returned the glare.

"Why do they always have to act like that, whenever they run into each other?" Ray asked as he and Aqua were standing on the side-lines.

"I know how you feel." Aqua said as she slumped her head.

Training hall

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were walking through the training hall in the academy as each of their Fairies were either sitting on their shoulders or on their heads.

"Hey, you with the scowl… wait up!" They turned towards the voice to see Lee standing above them.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"You and me, here and now… want to fight?" Lee said.

"You want to fight me… here and now?" Sasuke asked.

"Man, he's gotta have a death wish." Tael said.

"Yes." Lee said before jumping down and landing in front of them before saying "My name is Rock Lee. Among sticklers, etiquette requires one to introduce oneself before asking the name of another… Uchiha Sasuke."

"Huh… So you knew who I was all along." Sasuke said.

"I'm calling you out. I want to test the effectiveness of my techniques against the last surviving member of your legendary clan." Lee said.

"So you're challenging me, even knowing my lineage? In other words, you're a fool. So, dog-brow… do you really want to learn… what it means to be an Uchiha?" Sasuke asked.

"Absolutely." Lee said as he assumed a Taijutsu stance before thinking '_I can hardly wait. I'm going toe-to-toe with the cream of the rookie crop, first time out. Now you'll get the proof you require, Guy-sensei.'_

"I got a better idea." Everyone looked towards the new voice to see Flare standing where Lee had been just moments ago "How about the four of you against me?"

"Ah! Naruto, his Hitai-ate…" Navi said.

"Yeah, I noticed. He's from Tani." Naruto said as he gritted his teeth and put his hand around the hilt of his tanto, preparing to draw it.

"Who're you?" Sakura asked.

"Me? The name's Flare. And as you can see, I'm a Genin from Tanigakure no Sato." Flare said as he pointed at his Hitai-ate before everyone's eyes widened as he suddenly burst into flames and shot down like a meteor and impacted into the floor in front of them.

"I know they said I shouldn't fight you, but I can't hold back any longer. If I wait, I might end up killing someone else." Flare said as he walked out of the fire though he was still burning.

"Wh-what the hell is he?" Sakura asked.

"Hey, back off. I'm the one who'll fight Uchiha first." Lee said.

"I don't think he's here to challenge Sasuke." Tatl said.

"The Fairy's right. I'm here for the three members of Konoha's team 7, you just happen to be an innocent bystander that was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and got caught in the fire." Flare said before he suddenly burst into flames again and shot past them.

'_So fast!'_ Sakura thought as the four of them looked over their shoulders to see that Flare had cocked his right arm back as it was engulfed in fire.

"Hiken!" Flare called out before punching Sakura in the back, sending her through the air before rolling over the floor, the flames which started burning on her back being extinguished from the speed she went at, and from the numerous times she hit the floor.

"SAKURA-CHAN/SAKURA-SAN!" Naruto and Lee called out as the girl attempted to climb to het feet.

"Heh. There's a rule in Tani which states, "If you're fighting more than one opponent, always take down the weakest ones first, so that they can't get in the way"." Flare said as Tatl flew over to Sakura.

"Sakura, are you all right?" She asked as she landed in front of the girl who had just gotten up on her knees.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm all right." Sakura said before she stared towards Flare who was still covered in flames.

"You won't be for long." He said as he charged towards Sakura – fire consuming his whole body except for his face – but just then, however, Lee appeared in front of him in a burst of speed.

"Konoha Senpou!" He then delivered a roundhouse kick to Flare's face, but Flare smirked just before the leg hit him, and Lee's eyes widened as his leg went right_ through_ him.

"Nani?" Lee exclaimed before Flare delivered a scorching hot punch to his gut.

"Hiken: Endan!" Lee was then sent flying backwards as his stomach started burning before the flame suddenly blew up in a large explosion.

"Ah! Lee!" Sakura yelled before Lee was sent flying out of the smoke from the explosion and went straight into the wall.

"Katon: Goukakyo no Jutsu!" Sasuke called out as he sent a large ball of fire at Flare, but as the ball of heated oxygen hit the Tani-nin who then looked towards Sasuke while the Goukakyo was seemingly absorbed into his flame-covered body.

'_Nani? My Jutsu didn't work?'_ Sasuke thought.

"If you're wondering why your fire Jutsu had no effect… it's because I AM FIRE ITSELF!" Flare declared.

Two shuriken then suddenly came out of Flare's chest, and he turned around to see that the one who threw them was none other than Naruto.

"You wanna be the first to die, then?" Flare asked before he suddenly appeared in Naruto's face, but the blond quickly reacted by drawing the Hakko Chakura To and blocked Flare's open palm as said fire user was about to slam his palm into Naruto's face.

"Ha! You think you can stop me that easily? I'll just melt the blade!" Flare said, and Naruto felt as though his tanto was getting a lot hotter as the fires covering Flare went from a deep orange to red.

'_Ugh. I don't think I can hold out much longer!'_ Naruto thought before the sound of a familiar voice rang through his head as he closed his eyes.

"**Naruto-kun, hear me. There's a great evil approaching, and the world needs a hero, it needs you."** Naruto then opened his eyes as the green gem on the hilt of his tanto started glowing, and the blade was suddenly covered by green winds.

"Nani?" Flare said before Naruto swung the sword downwards, cutting his opponent in two before jumping back. Flare just stood there, however, not at all bothered that his body was split in two down the middle.

"Whoa. Talk about a split personality." Tael said from behind the pillar he was hiding behind together with his sister and Navi.

"How can he still be alive?" Tatl asked.

The green winds covering Naruto's blade then extended until they reached two meters. And Naruto then pointed his blade towards Flare who suddenly started laughing.

"You really think you can win? How hilarious! Well, then. Let me show you just how futile your efforts truly are!" Flare said before both of his halves charged towards Naruto before coming together as they turned into a ball of fire.

"Nin Kagan!" He called out just before he went straight through Naruto, causing the blond to catch fire, and said blond started rolling around on the floor to try and put out the flames.

"Aaaaaaahhhh! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" He said.

"And now for the kill." Flare said as he held out his open palm towards Naruto as his hand suddenly burst into flames.

Before he could do anything, however, he was forced to jump backwards as Sasuke had attempted to punch him. Flare then noticed that the Uchiha's Sharingan were activated, causing him to smile.

"The Sharingan, eh? So you think that those extremely over-exaggerated eyes can help you here? Think again!" Flare said before bursting into flames, and before Sasuke could even react, he found Flare's fingertip at his chest "Hishigan!"

A beam of fire then shot out of Flare's fingertip and went straight through Sasuke's chest as the Uchiha let out a loud scream of pain.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled as Sasuke fell to the floor.

"Well, that's one down." Flare said before looking towards Sakura "And now, you're next."

Before he could do anything more, however, Lee suddenly appeared beneath him before kicking him so hard in the jaw so that he was sent up into the air.

"Nani?" Flare asked before Lee appeared behind him in the air.

"You've managed to knock us around quite a bit. But now you're completely at my mercy." Lee said as the bandages on his arms wrapped themselves around Flare.

"Heh. You really think that this'll be enough to stop me?" Flare asked before and explosion of fire suddenly burst from his body, burning through the bandages as Lee was pushed back.

'_N-nani?'_ The Taijutsu user thought in surprise before his eyes widened as Flare appeared just above him with his right arm cocked back.

"Karyuken!" His arm then morphed into the shape of a dragon made out of fire before he punched Lee in the gut, sending the boy crashing into the floor as Flare landed over him.

"And that's two…" He said before noticing something.

"Dainamikku Entori!" Before Flare could do anything, he was suddenly kicked into the wall. As he managed to climb out of said wall, however, he spotted a man that looked like an older version of Lee standing over said boy.

"Huh? And who are you supposed to be?" Flare asked.

"I am Konoha's noble blue beast, Might Guy!" Guy said. **(Kurama no Kyubi: The Japanese can't tell the difference between green and blue.)**

"Well, then. "blue beast", get out of the way or I'll kill you too." Flare said as he got ready to attack.

"FLARE!" A familiar voice called out and Flare instantly started sweating as he slowly turned his head towards where the voice had come from to see Aqua running towards him.

"A-Aqua-chan…" He said.

"YOU BAKA!" Aqua yelled as she punched Flare so hard that he was sent flying into the wall "Ventus-kun told us not to fight anyone until the proctors would allow it!" She then turned towards the others and bowed "I'm sorry if my teammate caused you any trouble. Gomen nasai."

'_How was she able to hit him? Whatever we did simply just past straight through him.'_ Sasuke, who was currently trying to get up on his knees thought.

"Hey, Sasuke! You all right?" Tael asked as he flew over to the Uchiha as said Uchiha managed to get up on his feet.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Navi asked as she flew over to said blond as he got up on his feet.

"Yeah." He said.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! You're all right!" Sakura exclaimed as she ran over to the two.

"You all right there, Lee?" Guy asked as he helped his student up.

"Guy-sensei!" Lee said as he got up on his feet.

"Now, come on, Flare. Or we'll be late for the exams." Aqua said as she was dragging a half-dead Flare after his cape, causing everyone else to sweatdrop.

'_Did that one punch really hurt him so much?'_ Sasuke thought.

"What's with those Tani-nins anyway?" Naruto asked, causing Guy to look towards the members of team 7.

'_Hmm? Unless I miss my guess, those children… are Kakashi's.'_ He thought before asking "By the way… How is Kakashi?"

"You know Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.

"Do I know him? Heh heh…" Guy said before everyone's eyes widened as he suddenly vanished before reappearing behind them "I should say so. We're arch-rivals."

'_He…'_ Sasuke thought.

"Hey. How'd he…?" Naruto asked.

"The score stands at fifty to forty-nine. I'm stronger than he is." Guy said.

'_He's so fast. His speed is much greater than Kakashi's. Is he even human?'_ Sasuke thought.

"As you can see, Guy-sensei is totally amazing!" Lee said.

'_Who _is_ this guy? He claims he's better than Kakashi… and I don't think he's bluffing.'_ Sasuke thought.

"You and Lee should head up to the classroom now." Guy said before shunshining away as he said "Best of luck, Lee. Later."

"Yes, sir." Lee said before turning to Sasuke "By the way Sasuke. I don't think that you're the strongest Konoha Genin. The strongest Genin is a member of my own team… and I intend to take him down. That's why I'm entering. And by the way… you're on my list, too." He then leapt into the air as he said "Off to apply for the exam. Be ready for it, okay?"

"Interesting…" Sasuke said, causing the others to look at him "Things are starting to get interesting. This Chunin exam is bringing things to a boil."

"Yep." Sakura said.

"Well, yeah." Naruto said.

"Naruto? Sakura? Ikuzo." Sasuke said as they started walking.

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey, did you forget about us?" Navi asked as she, Tatl, and Tael flew after them.

Ninja Academy, room 301

When team 7 entered the classroom, they were shocked at seeing all of the applicants in the exams. There was enough Genin in here from the different villages to fill the entire room, and it wasn't a small room either.

"Sasuke-kun! Where've you been, cutie? I could hardly wait! It's so exciting, seeing you again after all this time!" a girl with blond hair yelled as she jumped at the Uchiha from behind.

"Whoa!" Tael exclaimed as he was forced off of Sasuke's shoulder.

"Ino, you pig! Get your hooves off Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled.

"Hello to you, too Sakura. Still hoping the big, mutant forehead look is going to come into fashion, huh? How sweet." Ino said.

"What did you say?" Sakura yelled while raising her fist at Ino.

"Why don't you three save yourselves the embarrassment of flunking this test? Go die, okay?" A boy with black pineapple hair, Nara Shikamaru said as he came over to them along with a fat boy, Akimichi Choji who was currently eating chips.

"Well, if it isn't the three stooges." Naruto said.

"Stop calling us that." Shikamaru said.

"Hey! There you are!" Everyone turned towards the voice to see Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Hyuga Hinata.

"Uh… hi…" Hinata said.

"Looks like the gang's all here." Kiba said.

"Including you… unfortunately!" Shikamaru said.

"So… I guess all three of this year's newbie trios decided to apply, huh? I wonder how far we'll all get. What do you think… Sasuke?"

"Trying to psych us by acting cool, Kiba?" Sasuke asked.

"Who's acting? The way _we've_ trained, no way can you beat us." Kiba said.

"Oh, shut up! You guys won't even beat me, much less Sasuke!" Naruto said.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun… Kiba-kun didn't mean that the way it sounded…" Hinata stuttered.

"Would you guys do us all a favor and just shut up?" A man asked as he approached the rookie nine.

The man wore purple clothes, he had silver hair and a Konoha Hitai-ate on his forehead. He also had pointy ears, showing his Hylian lineage.

"You three gangs of would-be hotshots are all Genin, right? Kids barely out of the local Ninja Academy? All wet-behind-the-ears and runny-nosed! This isn't a school field trip, you know. Who the heck do you think you are? Name's Kabuto. So what? You kids need to open your eyes." The man, now identified as Kabuto said.

"Why?" Sakura asked as she and the others noticed the Ame team behind them that looked rather annoyed to say the least.

"Watch out for the group behind you. They're Amegakure shinobi and they've got very short fuses. Everyone's on edge, waiting to take the exam. I wanted to give you a heads-up before someone snaps and beats the crap out of you." Kabuto said before reaching for his weapon's pouch as he continued "But it's probably unavoidable. Like all rookies, you think you already know everything. I remember what it was like."

"Kabuto-san?" Sakura said.

"Yeah?" Kabuto asked.

"Are you saying that this is the second time you've applied?" Sakura asked.

"Not second… seventh, twice a year for… hm, going four years now." Kabuto said.

"Wow… then you've got a lot of experience with what we can expect!" Sakura said.

"I guess so." Kabuto said as he pulled out several cards "Okay… the least I can do is give you sweet little babies some vital intelligence on what you're in for... with these shinobi info cards."

"Shinobi info cards?" Sakura asked.

"To put it simply, they contain information about the skills we use, transformed into symbols and burned into the cards using chakra." Kabuto said as he put down the cards on the floor. He then took one of the cards and laid it down in front of the rookies.

"It took me four years to collect all the intelligence needed for this exam. In all, there are almost 200 cards. They look blank, don't they? The only way you can read the data on the cards is by using my own personal chakra. Each set is linked to its possessor. for example, cards like this one…" Kabuto said before channeling chakra into the card.

"What's he doing?" Ino asked before a map of the elemental nations appeared on the card.

"It's some kind of combination map and bar graph, in three dimensions. What kind of intelligence is this?" Sakura asked.

"It shows how many applicants each shinobi nation is sending to this session of the Chunin Exams. There's a total of 159 applicants for the exams with 87 from Konoha, 30 from Suna, 21 from Ame, 6 from Taki, 6 from Kusa, 6 from Tani, and 3 from Oto!" Kabuto said before Navi landed on the floor in front of him.

"Do you also have dossier cards? Cards for each individual applicant?" She asked.

"What the heck's that?" Kiba asked.

"What? Never seen a Fairy before?" Naruto asked as he looked at Kiba.

"Wha…? Fairies don't exist." Kiba said.

"Sure they do." Naruto said as Tael and Tatl flew up next to his head, causing Kiba's eyes to widen.

"Are there someone that you have a particular interest in? I'll admit these are far from complete, but I've burned a set of dossier cards for the current pool of applicants, including your team. If you share any data you have on this person who interests you, I'll be happy to look him up and let you know what I have so far." Kabuto said, apparently not at all surprised that there was a Fairy in front of him.

"Terra and Flare from Tani, also Gaara of Suna while you're at it. No wait, scratch that first part. I want information on all six Tani-nins." Navi said.

"You know their names? No sweat, then." Kabuto said taking out seven cards.

"Let me see them." Navi said, and Kabuto laid down the card for Gaara first.

"First up is Sabaku no Gaara of Suna. 8 C-ranked missions… 1 B. wow. Not many rookie shinobi get B-ranked assignments. Since he's from way out in the desert, I have less on him… but it's interesting. He's come back from every mission but one completely unscathed." Kabuto said before laying down the other six cards.

"Next up is Kaze Ventus of Tani. 6 C-ranks, 4 B-ranks, and… wow… even 1 A-ranks. I've never heard of a rookie getting an A-rank before. I don't have much more on him though. Then there's Hi Flare. He's Ventus' teammate, so they've had the same amount of missions. I don't have much more on him though. Next up is Mizu Aqua. She's also Ventus' and Flare's teammate, so she's had the same amount of missions as well. Other than that though, there isn't much I know about their team except…" Kabuto said.

"Except, what?" Sasuke asked.

"Their Jonin sensei is Kazemajutsu no Vaati. One of the strongest shinobi of Tani." Kabuto said.

"Tell me what you know of the other three." Navi said.

"Right. Next up is Tsuchi Terra. He's taken 9 C-ranked assignments, 3 B-ranks, and 1 A-rank. That's about all I have on him. Terra's teammates are Yuki Chilly, and Kaminari Ray, I don't have any other information on any of them other than the amount of missions they've taken. However there's one thing that all of the Tani-nins have in common, apparently none of them have ever been as much as scratched on any of their missions." Kabuto said, causing everyone who heard that to gulp. If someone would come back from an A-rank mission without getting as much as a scratch, then they're bad news.

"Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki, Tani, Oto… this year every hidden village has sent outstanding Genin here to compete. I don't know much about Otogakure no Sato. It's part of a new, small nation, so intelligence on it is lacking. Every other competing village is well-respected, home to some formidably powerful shinobi." Kabuto said.

"Anybody besides me suddenly feeling kind of outclassed?" Hinata asked.

"What you're trying to tell us is… everyone here…" Sakura said.

"Oh, yeah. They're all like Gaara and the Tani-nins… elite hand-picked shinobi, the best young ninja in the world. They have to be. The test is pitiless." Kabuto said.

Sakura then noticed that Naruto was shaking and she thought '_Looks like even our team's overconfident butthead has the shakes. And who can blame him? We're all Genin here… but we three are the youngest… absolute beginners. Still, it's not like Naruto. Maybe if I give him a little pep talk…'_ She then put a hand on Naruto's back before saying "It's all right, Naruto. Nothing to worry about."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! And none of you are gonna beat me! You got that?" Naruto suddenly yelled.

"What's his problem?" Ino yelled as she pointed at her fellow blond while looking at Sakura.

'_Typical. Too stupid to know he's got problems.'_ Sakura thought.

"Yeah. That felt great." Naruto said.

"Oh, please." Sasuke said.

Naruto's declaration pretty much caught the attention of all of the other Genin in the room including the Suna-nins, the Tani-nins, and team Guy.

"So… According to this dossier, our town is an unknown little village in a back-water country. Mortifying, isn't it? Want to have some fun with them?" One of the Oto-nins, Zaku Abumi said.

"Sounds good. That twit, treating us like some kind of afterthought. Let's give him a little data for his dossier. His understanding of Otogakure no Sato is… unsound. We'll see where the intelligence is lacking…" Another one of the Oto-nins, Dosu Kinuta said.

""And none of you are going to beat me!" The nerve of that kid. Little show-off." Kiba said.

"That idiot turned a room full of strangers to a room full of enemies with just one sentence." Shikamaru said.

"What are you blathering about?" Sakura asked as she brought Naruto into a head-lock.

"I'm telling the truth." Naruto said before Sakura noticed all of the annoyed stares they were getting from various Genin.

"Pay no attention to my friend… He's… you know… a special-ed ninja…" She said.

The three Oto-nins then quickly moved through the crowd, though Kabuto seemed to be the only one to notice them. Zaku suddenly jumped into the air before throwing two kunai at Kabuto, but he easily dodged it. However Dosu then came up in front of him and swung his right arm.

'_They're from Oto…'_ Kabuto thought before dodging the Oto-nin's arm.

'_He dodged it!'_ Naruto and Sakura thought.

'_So quickly I barely saw him move.'_ Sasuke thought, but suddenly Kabuto's glasses shattered and he took them off.

_'I see, this kind of attack… is… hmmm…'_ He thought.

"What's going on? He dodged the blow, but something broke his glasses." Sasuke said.

"His nose probably got grazed… serves him right for acting all superior." Shikamaru said.

Kabuto then suddenly collapsed on his knees and vomited. Everyone in the room that saw it was taken off guard by it, having thought that the guy had dodged the blow.

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked as she got over to him together with Naruto.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" Kabuto said.

"You don't look fine." Naruto said.

"You're a pushover, aren't you? Pretty sad for someone who's been an applicant for four years now." Dosu said.

"Better add this to your cards. The three applicants from Oto will all make Chunin this year." Zaku said.

_'I know Kabuto ducked that blow… so what happened to him? Why did he vomit?' _Sasuke thought.

Throughout the crowd were people trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Lee, what did that look like to you?" Lee's white-eyed teammate asked.

"Kabuto-san saw through the attack… so there must have been something else to it, some trick they used to make him sick." Lee said.

"Heh. How pathetic. If he wasn't able to dodge an attack like that, then there's no wonder why he hasn't passed the Chunin Exams yet." Flare said.

"No. There was definitely something more to that attack." Aqua said before looking at Ventus "Ventus-kun, what did you see?"

"There was something more to that attack, alright. The moment the Oto-nin swung his arm, I could feel the vibrations in the air shift, and went straight into Kabuto's ear. An attack like that could've even been bad for us." Ventus said.

"Hey, what happened? Didn't he dodge it?" Chilly asked.

"He did, but there must've been some kind of trick to it. Terra, what do you think?" Ray said before he and Chilly looked towards Terra who had hearts in his eyes as he looked towards the female Oto-nin.

"Man, have you ever seen something so beautiful? Such perfect long black hair, smooth skin, and what a nice figure." Terra said as – in his imagination – the female Oto-nin looked towards him and winked. Chilly though couldn't help but face-palm.

"He didn't even see it." She said under her breath.

"Would everybody please just shut up?" A voice called out through the room as there was an explosion of smoke at the front of the class-room, and as said smoke faded, it revealed the proctors.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. My name is Morino Ibiki. I'm the proctor and chief examiner for the first part of the exam." The proctor at the head of the group, now identified as Ibiki said.

Chapter preview

Ibiki "Then it's high time someone laid down a few ground rules. From this point forward, there will be no more fighting without the express permission of the examining officer… And even if that permission is granted, anything that endangers another applicant's life is forbidden. Any of you little piglets who break that rule are out. Disqualified. No second chances. Got that?"

Sasuke '_Unbelievable… This is an "intelligence" test… in more than just the academic sense.'…'They're also testing our information-gathering skills. They _want_ us to cheat… like shinobi. Without getting caught.'_

Asuma "That Ibiki understands the human heart completely. It's what makes him so terrible. He uses his insights mercilessly to manipulate his foes… bringing their human weaknesses to the surface… and using those weaknesses to make them crack."

Ibiki "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Exam 1: The dreaded paper test."

Navi "Naruto, there's no way that you can answer any of those questions on your own… So why not let me help you cheat?"

Character status

Naruto: Level: 13

Hearts: 4

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Oiroke, Harem, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: Hakko Chakura To, kunai, shuriken, vine-whip.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 13

Hearts: 4

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan.

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 4

Hearts: 3

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Wisdom.

Rock Lee: Level: 16

Techniques: Konoha Reppu, Konoha Senpou, Omote Renge.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Human

Flare: Level: 17

Techniques: Hiken, Hiken: Endan, Nin Kagan, Karyuken.

Weapons: none

Race: Hylian.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Finally done. This chapter took me a lot longer than I thought it would, but at least I got done with it. Now, I would like it if you guys were to review, and I'll try to have the next chapter up much faster. Oh, and I would also like your opinions on Flare's rather unique powers. Oh, and you're free to guess which Sage I'll reveal in this arc, and also who it is.


	8. Exam 1: The dreaded paper test

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Chunin Exam arc**

**Kurama no Kyubi: **And so it begins. The Chunin Exams will finally get under way, and they'll last for a good number of chapters. Oh, and by the way, last chapter I forgot to tell you that back when I wrote the chapter before then, I thought the Japanese word for darkness was "yomi", but I've found out that it's actually "yami", so Kaiza's alias is actually "Yami no Kaiza" and not "Yomi no Kaiza".

**daniel 29:** Just 1 question what item did naruto get from this dungen?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** The vine-whip of course, didn't you read the chapter?

**Guest:** flare ability does make him rather invincible but it does have one major flaw elmentally and energy wise interms of the fact that if he get doused with water or anything which can extinguish fire plus that power does require a lot of energy to use.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Well, you're right on both counts, but Flare has ways around it. First of all he can make fires hot enough to disintegrate the water before it can get anywhere near him – though the hotter his flames, the more chakra he uses – and second of all, he's got chakra reserves which would make an Uzumaki proud. So he doesn't really care much about his flaws.

**ImagineBreaker7:** Awesome chapter i really enjoyed it. Thanks for the info about the pairings I look forward to when they will meet. I look forward to your next update.

**Kurama no Kyubi: **No prob.

**Guest:** here's another Idea for another piece of gear for Naruto to pick up the grand magister's wand which can give our hero quite a wide variety of magical effects from unleashing pure magical blasts of energy, unleashing elemental blasts of energy at his enemies, manipulating just about everything in his environment in order to create a pathway for him and his friends to turn his immediate surrounding into one of his most versatile weapons against his enemies as well as grappling magical against his foes. Namely if he has fight against foes who are immune to physical assault tactics like flare as a prime example but in order for our young hero to use this wand he have to be able to channel mana instead of chakra in order for him to use it effectively.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** You do know that all of the internal energies in all different kinds of fiction are basically the same thing, just with different names, right? But thanks for the idea, I'll keep it in mind.

**Guest:** you should try adding some songs to this story like the song of time for example song which can have an effect on the environment as for pairings well how about Naruto and Hinata

**Kurama no Kyubi: **Haven't the pairing already been confirmed? But anyway, I will probably add songs later on, but not right now. Also – while I do like the NaruHina pairing – isn't that one kinda over-used?

**Guest:** I am going out on a limb to guess that moegi's one of the six sages considering that that one of those sages was a ruto tribeswoman

**Kurama no Kyubi:** You've got a good guess there, but that Rito tribeswoman was the Sage of Earth, not one of the six. So even if Moegi's a Sage, she wouldn't be one of the Six Sages.

**Guest:** I am guessing that the other tani ninja's all have power which is similar to flare's interm of be able to turn into their specialized element physically

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Pretty much, but I'll bet you'll never figure out who can use which element.

**Guest:** so what taking you so long with your stories? please update soon. P.S. about those rpg stats I mentioned you could try applying them to your other stories you know

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Don't worry, I'm working as fast as I can. No really, I am.

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God thought**

**Ventus:** Kurama no Kyubi doesn't own anything but his OCs.

Chapter 7: Exam 1: The dreaded paper test

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. My name is Morino Ibiki. I'm the proctor and chief examiner for the first part of the exam." Ibiki said before pointing at the Oto-nins.

"You… the kids from Otogakure. You can't carry on any way you please when the exam's about to start. Or do you want to be disqualified?" He said.

"Sorry, sir… It's our first exam, and we got a little carried away." Dosu said.

"Is that so?" Ibiki asked before saying "Then it's high time someone laid down a few ground rules. From this point forward, there will be no more fighting without the express permission of the examining officer… And even if that permission is granted, anything that endangers another applicant's life is forbidden. Any of you little piglets who break that rule are out. Disqualified. No second chances. Got that?"

"So this is a test for little girly men?" Zaku asked.

"As you wish. The first part of the selection exam is about to commence. Turn in your written applications, take one of these seating assignment cards…" Ibiki said before he held up a card with the number "1" on it "And report directly to the seat indicated. When everyone's seated, we'll pass on the written part of the test."

"Huh? A-a paper test?" Naruto yelled.

Soon after, everyone had taken one of the seating assignment cards, and were at the seat indicated.

'_This must be Naruto's worst nightmare. He looks absolutely crushed.'_ Sakura thought as she looked towards the blond.

'_Aw, man… We're spread out all over the room. Now what do I do?'_ Naruto thought.

"Naruto-kun…" Naruto looked to his right to see Hinata sitting there.

"Oh. I didn't even see you, Hinata." He said before thinking '_This chick's a regular invisible girl.'_

"L-let's do our best." Hinata said.

"Papers face-down until I give the signal. Now listen up." Ibiki said before starting to write on the black-board without even looking as he continued "There are a few big rules that pertain to this first test. I'll write them on the black-board and explain them all, but I'm not taking questions, so listen carefully. I will say this only once."

"Rules?" Sakura asked before thinking _'And no questions? Why not?'_

"Rule number one: Each one of you starts out here with ten points. The test has ten questions, each worth one point. For each question you get wrong, we subtract a point from you. Get all ten right, and you retain the ten points you have. But if – for example – you answer three questions incorrectly, we take your ten points, subtract one point for every wrong answer… and your total drops down to seven." Ibiki said as he wrote on the black-board.

'_In other words, if I get all ten questions wrong, I'll end up with no points at all.'_ Naruto thought.

"Rule number two: This written test is still a team event. Passing or failing will be determined by the sum of the points held by all three members of each team. The object is for each team to have as few deductions as possible from its joint thirty-point total." Ibiki said as Sakura slammed her head face-first into the desk.

"W-wait a second! The whole concept of the starting points and the deductions is hard enough to follow… but what is this "team total" you're talking about?" She asked.

"Did you not hear the part about "no questions"? We have our reasons. Shut up and listen. You might learn something. This next part is crucial." Ibiki said.

'_What reasons…?'_ Sakura thought.

"Rule number three: If – during the course of this exam – a candidate does anything out of the ordinary… in other words, anything that leads the proctors to determine that he or she has cheated, we subtract two points from each member of the cheater's team. Exactly. In all probability, some of you will run through your entire allowance of points during the test. If so, you'll be failed and asked to leave." Ibiki said as he looked out over the Genin.

'_I get it… There are more ways to lose a point than just missing a question.'_ Sakura thought.

"I'll be looking over your shoulders when you least expect it." One of the proctors said, causing several of the Genin to gulp.

"If you let the proctors catch you cheating, you'll bring yourself and your friends down. If you aspire to become Chunin – if you want to be the best shinobi you can be – then you'd better start acting like you already are." Ibiki said.

'_Get a hold on yourself, Sakura. It's too bad about Naruto, but Sasuke-kun and I should be able to retain enough points for all three of us… even if Naruto gets every single answer wrong.'_ Sakura thought.

"One more thing… If any individual loses all ten of his or her points, that person's entire team – regardless of how the other two members do – will be disqualified." Ibiki said.

'_Nani?'_ Sasuke thought.

'_NANI?"_ Sakura pretty much yelled in her mind.

"I can feel them from here… both wanting to kill me already." Naruto said quietly to himself.

"You have one hour… starting… NOW!" Ibiki said and everyone flipped their papers around as they started looking through the questions.

'… _Say it isn't so… This could be a no-win situation… Please, Naruto… try to hang on to at least _one_ of your points.'_ Sakura thought.

'_Heh heh heh… This is funny… Here I am again… facing the worst kind of enemy. Teachers didn't call me the all-time dunce for nothing. I earned that name on the field of battle. The trick is not to show any fear. Tests can smell fear. Remain calm… Don't try to do everything at once. Look each question square in the eye. Try to find the weakest link… the easy one. Separate it from the herd, and take it down.'_ Naruto thought.

'_This is _so_ not good. Naruto is an idiot… I just hope he doesn't panic.'_ Sasuke thought before looking at the first question '_Whoa. First up is cryptography. They want us to work our butts off.'_

'_Next.'_ Naruto thought as he determined that he couldn't answer the first question.

'… _I wonder how Naruto's doing… But I've got to concentrate on my own work. I've got to hang onto all my points to make up for him…'_ Sakura thought before she looked at the second question _'Um… number two… "The parabola marked B represents the greatest effective distance the enemy shinobi, A, could throw a shuriken from the top of a 23.3-foot-tall tree. Calculate the specific features of the scenario and deduce the range of the shuriken's effectiveness, assuming a consistent speed for shinobi A's assault upon any enemy shinobi operating within the arc that the flight of the shuriken describes. Show your work." This… this is… to solve this, you need to hypothesize under very uncertain conditions… and then apply the laws of kinetics to whatever you come up with. There's no way Naruto could solve something like this. Of course neither can most of the people here. It's a killer… 'course, I can answer it.'_

'_Well, well… I don't know how to answer a single one of these questions. And what's the deal with number ten?' _Sasuke thought before looking towards some of the proctors that were sitting by the windows_ 'They're watching us, like cats watch mice. Like they expect us to cheat. Those rats.'_

'_Rule number two makes it pretty clear that we're competing against each other. Obviously, only the teams that keep the most points will be allowed to pass. I just wish I knew where the cut-off lies – how many of the top teams can pass – not that knowing would change anything, but the uncertainty is driving me nuts.'_ Sakura thought before Aqua – who was sitting to the right of her – stood up.

"There's one thing I keep wondering. How many of the top-ranking teams can pass?" She asked.

"Knowing that now isn't going to help you, is it? Unless you're hoping to fail." Ibiki said.

"Sorry…"Aqua said as she sat back down,

'_I thought so. If only about ten of the fifty-three teams here can pass… all three of us have to retain as many points as possible. The system is set up so it almost _forces_ you to cheat. I just hope Sasuke-kun and Naruto don't panic and try to take that way out. But they wouldn't. They couldn't. Not even Naruto is that stupid… is he?' _Sakura thought.

'_Remain calm… Above all, proceed with caution. My only hope is to cheat so well they don't catch me. No way. No way. Don't even _think_ about it! Danger. Danger. Do _not_ go there!'_ Naruto thought as he was panicking.

'_With so many proctors looking over our shoulders, they're probably watching every little thing every one of us does… making notes about us in their gradebooks.' _Sasuke thought before noticing that one of the proctors started writing something_ 'The axe has fallen somewhere!' _He then remembered some of what Ibiki had said.

"If you let the proctors catch you cheating, you'll bring yourself and your friends down. If you aspire to become Chunin – if you want to be the best shinobi you can be – then you'd better start acting like you already are."

_'Hold it! Now I get it. Unbelievable… This is an "intelligence" test… in more than just the academic sense. Wake up, Naruto. You're history if you don't figure it out. They're also testing our information-gathering skills. They _want_ us to cheat… like shinobi. Without getting caught._ _Shinobi must look underneath the underneath. The proctors want us to cheat really well. The way the best shinobi would, if they needed this kind of information in a real-world mission. Look at how they set up the "perfect score, minus penalties" scenario. With two points deducted every time you get caught cheating the real message is that you can be caught four times before you face disqualification. What we're being tested on is not whether we know the answers, but how skillfully we can discover them! Come on, Naruto. Any minute now, everyone who's figured it out will start going for it.'_ Sasuke thought.

Elsewhere in the room were Kankuro and Gaara looking towards each other out of the corners of their eyes.

'_Stop glaring at me. I get it, already.'_ Kankuro thought before he noticed that Gaara had begun gathering sand _'Gaara's started, too, huh? Don't fail me, Scare-Crow…'_

Kiba's dog, Akamaru sat on top of his master's head, scouting out the answers and telling them to Kiba.

"Woo-hoo! Good boy, Akamaru! Next is question number four…" Kiba whispered to the small mutt.

A bee landed on Shino's paper and the stoic boy picked it up on his finger and whispered "Excellent. Tell me more." The bee then started flying in a number 8 pattern 'Number eight, huh?'

At one of the light bulbs in the ceiling where several mirrors that Lee's female teammate, Tenten had put up there earlier and she adjusted one of them slightly with nearly invisible threads so that it showed the reflection of one of the papers.

'_Lee, if you can see it, adjust your Hitai-ate…' _She thought and as though he'd read her thoughts, he took off the Hitai-ate and tied it around his forehead.

Ventus was calmly sitting on his seat as he breathed in before breathing out, and suddenly there was a small breeze going through the room, despite the windows being closed.

'_As the wind passes by the pens of the others, I can tell exactly what their writing…'_ He thought before starting to write.

Terra was sitting on the seat behind Ino, so his mind clearly wasn't on the test as his eyes had turned into hearts.

'_What a beauty!'_ He thought.

'_Grrr. Is that idiot even concentrating on the test?'_ Chilly thought as she stared towards Terra before she shook her head as she held up her hand and looked into her palm before what looked like a mirror suddenly formed. She then adjusted the mirror a little so that she had a full view of the paper of the guy sitting next to her '_Bingo!'_

Dosu was sitting, seemingly asleep as his visible eye was closed.

'_From the rhythm, the writing order, and number of strokes that go into the words… Got it…'_ He thought before he started writing.

Neji closed his eyes and when he opened them again, veins had popped up around them.

'_Byakugan!'_ He thought and he looked straight through the guy in front of him.

'_That's the one. I'm going to mimic his every move. Using the Sharingan.'_ Sasuke thought as he activated his eyes.

'_I'm almost out of time. Kuso! If I don't cheat, I'm dead anyway!'_ Naruto thought before a kunai suddenly flew past him and imbedded itself into the paper of the one who sat behind him '_That was close… I was about to turn around.'_

"Wh-what was that for?" The Konoha-nin who was sitting behind Naruto asked as he stood up.

"That's five strikes… and you're out." The proctor who threw the kunai said.

"N-no way…" The Konoha-nin said.

"Take your teammates with you. Out of this classroom. Now!" The proctor said.

'_Yipe. That was too close. No way am I gonna risk cheating… not alone.'_ Naruto thought before Navi – who had been resting on his head the whole time – came down in front of him.

"Naruto, there's no way that you can answer any of those questions on your own… So why not let me help you cheat?" She asked.

"What? And what can you do?" Naruto asked.

"Well, due to my size, and my wings, I can easily move around without getting spotted." Navi whispered.

"Oh! That makes sense." Naruto said before Navi started flying around, looking at the different applicants' papers.

'_That's it. I've answered them all. There's nothing left for me to do but to wait for the tenth question.'_ Sakura thought, not realizing that this is what Ino's been waiting for.

'_It looks like Sakura has finally stopped writing. Time to make my move. Sakura… your broad brow and big brain have earned my respect, so you ought to feel honored that you're going to be the target of my signature technique. Well then, here it comes…'_ Ino thought before her body slumped over the desk, as her mind entered Sakura.

'_Sorry, Sakura… not. Sakura, you're a dear, letting me possess you like this… and see all of your answers.'_ Ino thought as she picked up Sakura's paper and started looking through the answers while thinking _'Have to memorize this quickly, before someone catches me. Next I'll possess Shikamaru and Choji, and write these answers on their papers. Clever little me.'_

Ino was too pre-occupied with Sakura's answers, however, so she didn't notice that Sakura's neck had gotten wet.

'_Seems I was right in thinking that you was smart, Wisdom Girl. When I rose from my feet earlier, it was to let some water I had formed under my butt to get free, and afterwards, I had it move up your body.'_ Aqua thought before looking into her palm where she saw an image of what the water on Sakura's neck would've seen if it had eyes.

Ray was writing away as though he knew the answers without having to cheat.

'_Since I sent some electrical charges into the one in front of me, I connected our nerve systems, causing me to mimic his every move.'_ He thought as he continued writing.

'_C'mon Ventus. I'm tired of waiting here.'_ Flare thought before a small breeze suddenly flew past him '_Heh. Finally.'_ He then started writing as though the wind had carried the answers with it.

"On your feet, number 102. You fail." One of the proctors said.

"K-kuso…" Number 102 said.

"You too, number 23. You're out." One of the proctors said.

"No way!" Number 23 said.

"Number 43 and number 27… start walking. You all fail." One of the proctors thought.

'_That's thirteen teams they've flunked out so far.'_ Kabuto thought.

A Suna-nin then slammed his hand down on the desk as he stood up and yelled "Cheated five times? Me? What proof do you have? How could you possibly watch this many students at once?" However, then one of the proctors shunshined towards him, and before he knew it, he was pinned to the wall on the other side of the room.

"Listen up and listen good. We proctors are the elite. Even in a group as skilled as the one gathered here today, we are far and away the best. We miss nothing. You got that, kids? You feel this? Well, I am as skilled as I am powerful." The proctor said, causing many of the Genin to gulp.

As this was going on, Ibiki was observing Gaara's actions as he thought '_Hmm… That brat is up to something. Whatever it is, he's doing it without turning a hair… Perfectly calm in the eye of this hurricane. For a rookie, he's amazing.'_

Gaara was gathering sand into his left hand, forming an eye of sand.

_'My optic nerve is reconnected… opening my third eye.'_ He thought before crushing the eye and the sand was dispersed throughout the room.

"Excuse me." Kankuro said as he stood up.

"What is it?" One of the proctors asked.

"I've got to go to the bathroom…" Kankuro said and one of the proctors walked over to him and put handcuffs on him.

"Of course. One of the proctors will accompany you." The proctor said.

"Why not?" Kankuro said.

Ninja academy, men's bathroom

"They think they're so slick. And they never even noticed that there's been one extra proctor this whole time. Pretty sad. Nice going, Crow." Kankuro said as the skin around the proctors left eye fell off and Kankuro sighed "Now then, give me all the answers in order, starting with number one."

Ninja academy, room 301

_'Now that we've weeded out the worst of the slackers… let's move on to the most important question. 45 minutes have passed. The time has come.'_ Ibiki thought before saying "All right. Here it comes. Get ready for the tenth question."

_'You better hurry back, Kankuro. I was supposed to get your first nine answers before they gave us the tenth question.'_ Temari thought.

"And before we get to the question itself… I'm adding one more new rule." Ibiki said, but before he could say any more, Kankuro came back.

"Heh… looks like you're in luck. The time you've spent playing with dolls hasn't been completely wasted." Ibiki said.

_'Dolls… does he know about Scare-Crow?_' Kankuro thought as he walked back to his seat, handing a note with all the answers on it to Temari as he passed her.

"Let me explain. This rule… is absolute." Ibiki said.

Jonin lounge

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma were sitting in the Jonin lounge, talking.

"Wow… with our subordinates tied up in exams, we've got time on our hands." Kakashi said.

"Don't worry. We'll be busy again before you know it." Asuma said while sighing.

"Why?" Kakashi asked.

"Word is, this year's first chief examination officer is Morino Ibiki." Asuma said.

"That sadist? Why did it have to be Ibiki?" Kakashi asked before thinking '_Will they even make it past the first exam?'_

"Sadist?" Kurenai asked.

"Kurenai, you're still a newbie to the Jonin, so you have no way of knowing." Asuma said.

"Why? What's he like?" Kurenai asked.

"He's a pro. A pro's pro…" Asuma said.

"A pro? At what?" Kurenai asked.

"Torture and interrogation. Konoha ANBU torture and interrogation corps unit leader Jonin commander, Morino Ibiki. In the exam that is presently underway… while there may be no physical torture… there's no doubt that the applicants are being subjected to the psychological pressures that make him infamous as an interrogator." Asuma said.

Ninja Academy, room 301

"First… you must choose whether to accept or reject this tenth question." Ibiki said.

_'Accept or reject…? What's he getting at?'_ Sasuke thought.

"What do you mean choose? What happens if someone doesn't accept the question?" Aqua asked.

"If you reject the question and don't even try to answer it, you'll lose all your points immediately… and fail. And both of your teammates will fail right along with you." Ibiki said.

"Say what?" Chilly yelled.

"Then why would anyone choose to reject it?" Flare yelled.

"Because… of the other rule." Ibiki said.

_'Oh, come on. What more can he add?' _Sakura thought.

"If you try to answer the question… and you get it wrong… you will never be permitted to apply for the Chunin exams again. Not ever." Ibiki said.

"You can't be serious. That's ridiculous. There are ninja here who've sat for the Chunin exams more than once already. We know there are." Kiba yelled while Akamaru barked and Ibiki started laughing.

"Just your rotten luck. I wasn't making the rules in past years. I am now. I've been up front with you. You can take a failing grade now, and try again later. Anyone who has doubts would be smart to reject the tenth question right now. Come back and reapply next year, and the year after that." Ibiki said.

_'Talk about a no-win situation. If even one member of a team rejects the question, then all team members fail for the year. If anyone accepts the question and can't answer it… he'll be stuck at Genin level for the rest of his life.'_ Sakura thought.

"Ready? Then let's begin. Those who choose not to accept should raise their hands. Once their number has been confirmed, they will leave the room." Ibiki said.

'_What kind of stupid question could it be? If I get it wrong, I'll be a Genin for life… not acceptable. But if I just reject the question, Sasuke and Sakura-chan both have to suffer for my lack of guts.'_ Naruto thought.

'_I don't intend to raise my hand. I'm sure I can answer the question, whatever it may be.'_ Sakura thought before looking at Naruto '_But even if Naruto decides to play it safe and reject the question, and we fail, all I'll lose is time. I won't have failed forever, and I can apply again for the next exam. But… But Naruto… you're different. It'd be foolish to sacrifice yourself forever for our sakes. Reject the question.'_ Just then, the guy sitting next to Naruto raised his hand as he rose to his feet.

"I-I… I quit. I'm rejecting the question." He was only the first of several others.

'… _Naruto… Why don't you reject the question? He's always going on about "Hokage-sama" this and "Hokage" that… like a broken record. I'm sorry, Naruto… your dream may be crazy, but I don't want it taken away from you forever.'_ Sakura thought as she was about to raise her hand, before noticing something.

Jonin lounge

"That Ibiki understands the human heart completely. It's what makes him so terrible. He uses his insights mercilessly to manipulate his foes… bringing their human weaknesses to the surface… and using those weaknesses to make them crack. Trickery is no defense against his skills as an interrogator." Asuma said.

Ninja Academy, room 301

Naruto had raised his hand, surprising his teammates, Hinata, and the Tani-nins before slamming it right back down on the desk.

"Never underestimate me! I don't quit, and I won't run! I'll accept your stupid question! Even if I risk ending up a Genin for the rest of my life… I'll still become Hokage, even if I can only make it by pure stubbornness. I don't care! I'm not afraid of you" He yelled, unintentionally inspiring the rest of the Genin in the room to stay as well.

_'He… never even gave us a thought. But he certainly does have guts.' _Sasuke thought.

'_Good thing… because an idiot like him needs them.'_ Sakura thought.

"I'll ask you one last time. This is a decision that could affect the rest of your life. Quit now while still have the chance." Ibiki said.

"I never go back on my word. That's my nindo." Naruto said.

_'Eighty-four of them are still here. Hm… an entertaining kid. And interesting. He dispelled everyone else's doubts along with his own. More than I expected but… there's no point in dragging it out. Thanks to him… no one else will quit.'_ Ibiki thought before he looked towards the other proctors and they all gave affirmative nods.

"Good call. So everyone who is still here…" Ibiki said and all of the Genin that were still in the room prepared themselves for what was to come "… you've just passed the first exam!"

"What do you mean, "passed"? What happened to the tenth question?" Chilly asked.

"There is no tenth question… beyond the whole "accept or reject" thing." Ibiki said.

"Then why did we have to suffer through the other nine questions? That was a total waste of our time." Flare yelled.

"There was no waste. Those questions had a purpose, which they've already served." Ibiki said.

"Such as?" Flare asked.

"Our goal was to test your skills… at spying!" Ibiki said.

_'He seems like a completely different person.' _Temari thought before saying "Our skills at spying?"

"Remember the rules at the beginning? You pass or fail as part of a three-man team. With that rule, I pressured you with the fear that anything you did wrong would bring your teammates down with you. However… the questions are beyond the level that Genin could be expected to handle. So most of you… having reached that same conclusion had only one way of retaining your points, by cheating. In other words… we set up the test on the assumption you'd cheat. And, to ensure there would be suitable targets for you to cheat from, we snuck in a pair of ringers… two Chunin who already knew all the answers." Ibiki said.

"It took me forever to figure out who they were." A ninja behind Naruto said.

"Oh, yeah. Me too." A ninja behind him again said.

"Of course, anyone who cheated in a clumsy or obvious way… failed." Ibiki said as he took of his Hitai-ate to show that he had burn scars and puncture wounds all over the top of his head and he continued "Because there may be circumstances where being caught in an act of espionage can cost you more than just your life. You pay in ways that can be taken from you little by little, time and time again, when many lives hang in the balance."

_'Burn scars… punctures from where screws were used… long slash marks… he's been tortured.'_ Sasuke thought.

_'Cool… I bet his hands are even worse. But that's what he gets for being dumb enough to get captured. It'll never happen to me.'_ Dosu thought.

'_Heh. Seems like _someone_ forgot to finish their job.'_ Chilly thought.

'_Those wounds… Looks like he's been in a battle with Ray.'_ Terra thought.

"The information you obtain can't be trusted… if you can't keep your presence secret from the enemy. Learn that and learn it well. If you bring back intelligence from a suspect source or a compromised operation… you're doing your enemies' work for them, putting those you serve in danger. That is why we maneuvered you into using your espionage skills to cheat. It was the quickest way of weeding out the students whose skills aren't yet up to stuff." Ibiki explained while putting his Hitai-ate back on.

"I still don't get what the deal with the tenth question was." Ventus said.

"Ah! The tenth question… was the first real test on the exam." Ibiki said.

"What on earth do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Let me explain… the tenth question was a choice between two options that were both difficult and dangerous. Those who chose to reject were failed, and their friends along with them. Those who chose to accept and couldn't answer the question… lost any chance of ever even trying again. It was a nasty, unfair, no-win set of options. So why do I present them? Let's suppose you all go on to successfully attain the rank of Chunin. You are assigned to steal a vital enemy document… knowing nothing about the skills, deployment, or military preparedness of your foe. You may have to cross a territory that has been heavily mined and set with traps. Now… do you accept your mission? Or do you reject it… rather than place your own life – or the life of your companions – in jeopardy? Could any Chunin get away with only taking on the safe jobs? Of course not. No matter how dangerous the risk… there will be missions that you cannot decline. A ninja must demonstrate valor that inspires those around him… helping all to overcome their fear. This is the talent that we most value in the commander of a Chunin team. Those who can't gamble with their own fate… who would trade today's certain risk for tomorrow's uncertain future… never taking the chance that lies before them are weaklings who make only weak decisions. In my opinion, they don't belong in the ranks of the Chunin at all. By choosing to accept, you answered the almost-insoluble tenth question correctly. If you keep that spirit, you can probably conquer all of the many doubts and difficulties you'll face. You've passed the first hurdle. Part one of the Chunin exams is now concluded. I'll pray you fight the good fight." Ibiki explained.

Suddenly, something crashed through the window and four kunai were imbedded into the walls of the room to reveal that it was a banner and in front of it stood a woman. On the banner it said "Newly arrived second chief examination officer Mitarashi Anko".

She had black hair in a ponytail, wore a light-brown jacket with a fishnet shirt underneath and she wore her Konoha Hitai-ate on her forehead, and she also had pointy ears, indicating that she's a Hylian.

"None of you are in any position to celebrate. I am the second examination officer, Mitarashi Anko! Times a-wastin', people. Let's go! Follow me!" Anko yelled.

"Can't you sense the mood in here?" Ibiki asked as he stepped out from behind the banner.

_'This new officer almost reminds me… of Naruto.'_ Sakura thought.

'_Great… Flare 2…'_ Aqua thought.

Anko then noticed something before looking at Ibiki as she said "Eighty-four of you are still here? Ibiki! You passed 28 teams? Obviously you went way too easy on them."

"This year… we have applicants of exceptional caliber." Ibiki said.

"Yeah, right. I'll cut down the number by half before the next test is done." Anko said.

_'Cut us down… by half?'_ Sakura thought, wondering what the next exam was going to be.

"Ooh. I get charged up just thinking about it. I'll explain things in detail as soon as we move to our next location… so follow me!" Anko said before she led all of the Genin to where the second exam would be.

Tani, Tanikage tower, Ganondorf's throne-room

The door to the room opened and a woman dressed in black entered. She was also wearing a weird hat which was sticking out to her right side, curving down to her hip. Said hat was also covering her right eye.

"Veran, give me your report." Ganondorf said as he was sitting on his throne, leaning on the left arm-rest.

"As expected, the Triforce bearers joined the exam, and they've all passed the first portion of it." Veran said.

"Good. Now tell me, where will the next portion of the exam take place?" Ganondorf asked.

"Considering who the proctor is, I'd have to guess it's the Forest of Death." Veran said.

"The Forest of Death? You mean that forest with all those monsters?" Ganondorf asked.

"Exactly." Veran said.

"Well, I doubt they'll notice the appearance of one more." Ganondorf said.

"I had a feeling you'd say that, so I've already gone ahead and sent _her_ to take care of them." Veran said, causing Ganondorf's mouth to twist into an evil grin.

Chapter preview

Anko "This is the arena for the second exam: training field 44. Also known as… the Forest of Death."

Naruto "Ugh… What happened?"

Navi "We got separated from the others."

Orochimaru "Now… shall we see… just who will be stealing scrolls from whom? We'll fight to the death."

Anko "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Exam 2: Monsters of the Forest of Death."

Navi "Aaaaaaahhhh! It's a Dodongo! Naruto we have to get away before it eats us!" (The Dodongo gobbles up Navi whole) **(Kurama no Kyubi: Just so you know, the Dodongo's not even bigger than Akamaru.)**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Since there weren't any fights in this chapter, I didn't see any point of adding the character stats this time. Also I've decided that from next chapter and onward I'll add chakra levels to the stats. Oh, and by the way, I noticed that I forgot to add hearts to Lee's and Flare's stats in the last chapter, and I'm too lazy to change it now, so I'll just tell you. Lee's got 6 hearts, and Flare has 10. Now, see ya next time, and don't forget to review.


	9. Exam 2: Monsters of the Forest of Death

**The Legend of Naruto**

**Chunin Exam arc**

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Hello again, guys. In this chappy, the Triforce wielders will face their greatest challenge yet… Orochimaru of the Sannin. Also, Sasuke will learn a new technique, and you'll never guess what it is.

**ImagineBreaker7:** So Ganondorf is up to something. I wonder what will happen in the forest. I can't wait to find out.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Of course he's up to something, it's Ganon we're talking about, here.

**GamesMaster64:** Love the story so far. I'm also fairly certain I know which of your elemental characters use what power, since most of them are based off of Latin names. However, I won't spoil the surprise here. I look forward to the future chapters here!

**Kurama no Kyubi:** to be honest, I didn't know that those were Latin names, heh heh heh. But I'd say it's pretty obvious which one of them uses what element, so I doubt you'd spoil anything by saying it… unless there's someone really stupid reading this story.

**Guest:** please do update soon okay also just who in the name of all that is bad news did our hero's main antagonist send after our hero's in the forest of death and apparently it's a lady of death that you've sent after our poor hero's in order to torture them and test them. aren't you going to add a shadow Naruto later on like in some instance in the legend of Zelda when link had to face his deadly doppleganger.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** I won't spoil much, but I will say this, there is going to be a Shadow Naruto later on, however, he's gonna dislike Ganondorf as much as the real Naruto.

**Guest:** I'm going ask a reasonable question. Are some of the other jinchuuriki going to be the other sages like Roshi as the fire sage?

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Sorry, but I've already chosen who all of the Sages will be. Though Roshi is a pretty good pick for the Fire Sage… too bad I didn't think of him.

**Guest:** speaking of your story here's a few idea about the chunin preliminaries matchup match I would go with ventus vs tamari after tamari defeats tenten as for rock lee I would go with him facing off against terra and coming out rather exhausted but alive and aqua against zaku or dosu for after all yous added 6 of gonandorf's best men into this exam and if the scuffle between vaati team and garra doesn't act as any indictator as to how powerful that madman's forces are then I don't what does for after all garra's a killing machine and vatti's team demolished garra's team just as they're passing by one another enroute to their separate destinations then I would have to hazard a guess that everyone from Tani is going to make to those prelimaries and to the finals.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Those were some good ideas, but I've already decided the match-ups for the preliminaries. Also, back when Vaati's team, and Gaara's team ran into each other, Vaati – a man nearly at the same level as Orochimaru – was there. Though the whole point of that fight was to hype-up the Tani-nins.

**Guest:** as for the true mastermind behind the uchiha massacre I know that once sasuke find out it was those two crones of fire and ice well he'll be sure to chase after them to the ends of the earth and beyond in order to get his vengeance on all those responsible for the death of his clan knowing him

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Of course.

**Guest:** also Naruto should really learn some of link's swordsmanship skills like the spin attack for example and other sword based skills

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Good idea. I'll keep that in mind.

**Guest:** here are some ideas for sword techniques that naruto should learn final blow, mortality draw, counter draw and clash push. the final blow technique is for when our hero manages to drive his foes to their knees but should they still have the strength to continue fighting then this technique work in a manner to finish these foes off with little to no effort. the clash push technique is for when our hero crosses swords with his enemies and he can use this technique to create and opening in their defense. the mortality draw is all about timing for our hero in which he can inflict great damage by managing to draw his sword when the enemy is about to attack him. the counter slash is a more advance form or the mortality draw is which hero has to wait until the last possible second to draw his sword to unleash a devastating amount of damage to his enemies which be greater than the mortality draw but if our hero gets the timing all wrong with this technique the best case scenario is that our hero will fall in the clash push technique worst case scenario is that Naruto may get severely injured as a result.

**Kurama no Kyubi:** Those are some good ideas. I'll keep them in mind.

"Triforce." Normal speech

'_Triforce.'_ Normal thought

"**Triforce." Biju and God speech**

'_**Triforce.'**_** Biju and God speech**

**Anko:** The only things Kurama no Kyubi own are his OCs!

Chapter 8: Exam 2: Monsters of the Forest of Death

"This is the arena for the second exam: training field 44. Also known as… the Forest of Death." Anko said as she had brought the Genin to the fence surrounding a huge forest.

"Whoa! Those trees are even taller than Great Deku Tree-sama." Tael said as he looked at the massive trees.

"You dummy. Great Deku Tree-sama is much taller. But these trees are still impressively tall, though." Tatl said.

"It looks like a pretty creepy place." Sakura said.

"You're about to find out first-hand… why they call this the "Forest of Death"." Anko said.

"Yeah, like that's really gonna scare us! You're trying to psych us out, and I'm not gonna fall for it!" Flare yelled.

"Oh, really? You're pretty cocky, huh?" Anko said with a grin before a kunai came out of her sleeve and she through it at Flare, causing a small cut on his cheek as small orange flames started burning there.

"Heh. You're kind are always the first to go." Anko said as she appeared behind Flare before noticing the small flames "But it seems that you're a little special, but that still won't guarantee your safety in this forest." The flames then turned back into skin, though the cut remained as a slight trail of blood dripped down, something that didn't go unnoticed Naruto, causing said blond to raise a curious eyebrow.

Anko then noticed something as she quickly turned around while pulling another kunai from her sleeve only to find a female Kusa-nin standing behind her, holding the kunai she'd thrown earlier with her tongue.

"Your kunai… I believe you dropped it." The Kusa-nin said.

"Gee… thanks." Anko said before she took the kunai before saying "Don't just stand behind me… radiating blood-lust. Unless you're in a hurry to die."

"I'll try to keep it under control… but the sight of warm, fresh blood really makes me crazy… And I was already revved up… from losing a strand of my precious hair." The Kusa-nin said as her tongue retracted back into her mouth.

"Man, that chick really gives me the creeps." Terra said.

"Hmmm? That's weird, I thought you'd be ogling over her." Ventus said as he looked towards Terra from the corner of his eyes.

"Oh, please. You know well that I'm only attracted to girls around my age." Terra said.

"Heh. Seems like the rumors weren't entirely true. That proctor's even scarier than Veran-sama." Chilly said.

"And the last one wasn't?" Aqua asked as she looked towards her fellow female Tani-nin.

"Before we begin the second exam, there's something I have to hand out." Anko said as she held up a bunch of paper forms "Their consent forms. Everybody has to sign one."

"Why?" Flare asked.

"We want all the details covered before the first deaths occur. Sign before you go in, so we can't be held liable. You wouldn't want me to get in trouble, would you? First I'll explain what the second exam entails. Then you can sign the forms. With the other two members of your team, bring the forms to the hut behind you and submit them." Anko said before she handed the forms over to Flare who took one and gave the rest to a random Genin that was standing next to him.

"Got that? Now, about the exam. To put it simply… it's a no-holds-barred survival test." Anko said.

'_Survival, eh? What a drag.'_ Shikamaru thought as he took a form and gave the rest of them to the person next to him.

"Let's start with the topography of this training field. I'll explain the rest later." Anko said as she held up a map of the forest before continuing "Training field #44 is bordered by a circular perimeter interrupted at regular intervals by forty-four locked gates. There are forests and a river… and in the center is a tower about ten kilometers from those gates. Within the confines of this carefully delineated area, you're going to undergo a survival test. During the course of that test, you may use any ninja arts or weapons you have at your disposal. It's a kind of fight-to-the-death version of "capture the flag"… or – in this case – "capture the scroll"." She then held up two scrolls, one with the kanji for earth on it, and one with the kanji for heaven on it.

"Scroll?" A random Genin asked.

"Exactly. There's a "scroll of heaven" and a "scroll of earth"… and your objective is to acquire both scrolls. There are eighty-four of you here. That's twenty-eight three-member teams. Fourteen teams will start out with a heaven scroll… and the other fourteen will start with an earth scroll. But you'll need both scrolls to pass. So your objective is to hold on to your own scroll, get your hands on one of the other kind, and then bring them both to the tower at the center." Anko explained.

"In other words, at least half of us – the fourteen teams whose scrolls are stolen – will fail." Sakura said.

"You bet. And there's a time limit. You have 120 hours in which to complete this exam – exactly five days." Anko said.

"Five days?" Ino asked.

"What are we supposed to do for food?" Choji asked.

"That's your problem. The forests are full of nature's bounty. Of course, they're also full of man-eating animals, deadly insects, and poisonous plants. There's no way as many as fourteen teams will pass this. As the time shortens, the trials will come harder and faster… with less recovery-time for any mistakes, accidents, or injuries. You'll be surrounded by enemies at all times, so you'll have to sleep with one eye open. So, in addition to those who die in attempts to defend or capture a scroll, some of you are bound to succumb to exhaustion, exposure, starvation, and dehydration. Now let's talk about the rules, and what offenses you can be disqualified for. Obviously, the teams that fail to reach the tower in time – as a three-member team, carrying both a heaven and an earth scroll – are out. So is any team that loses a member, whether to death or to severe injury. And under no circumstances can you leave the forest until the time is up. No recess. No time-outs. Also… you're forbidden to look at the contents of the scrolls until you're inside the tower." Anko explained.

"What if we sneak a peek?" Naruto asked.

"That's for those who look to know. If any of you make it to the Chunin level, there will be times when you'll be entrusted with top-secret documents, so consider this a test of your trustworthiness. That's all the explanation you get. We'll trade one scroll for every three forms. When you've got yours, choose the gate you want to start from. Everyone will begin at the same time. One final piece of advice… stay alive." Anko said.

"It's almost time to distribute the scrolls." A Chunin called out from the hut before pulling up a curtain.

_'Smart. To keep us in the dark, they're concealing which type of scroll each team gets… and which member is carrying it. It's just like that guy Ibiki said… stealing intelligence is a matter of life and death. Everyone is an enemy. And we're probably all equally determined. If we're all willing to fight to the death, this could become a massacre.'_ Sasuke thought as he looked down on his consent form.

_'Heh heh… it's finally starting to sink in… why we want those consent forms.'_ Anko thought before yelling "All right, everyone, follow your proctors to your respective gates! When the signal sounds in half an hour, the exam will begin!" The different teams were then brought to the different gates around the forest.

Forest of Death, gate 16

At gate 16 were team 8 waiting for the exam to begin.

"Woohoo! If it's survival skills they want, we've got it made! Don't go soft on us, Hinata." Kiba said and Hinata nervously looked down to the ground.

Forest of Death, gate 27

At gate 27 were team 10.

"A fight to the death? What a drag… but if it's the only way…" Shikamaru said before thinking _'…Looks like Naruto's our target.'_

Forest of Death, gate 12

At gate 12 were team 7.

"Yeah! Yeah! We can't lose, I tell ya! Anyone comes near us, I'll kill 'em myself!" Naruto said.

"Yeah, anyone who tries to take us on will be dead before they know what hit 'em!" Tael said.

_'Oh, please!'_ Sakura thought.

Forest of Death, gate 20

At gate 20 were team Dosu.

_'Heh heh… the time has finally come… to carry out our orders in the open.'_ Dosu thought.

Forest of Death, gate 38

At gate 38 were team Kabuto.

Forest of Death, gate 6

At gate 6 were team Gaara.

_'I've got to look out for enemy teams… but five days in the forest with that creepy Gaara… argh!'_ Kankuro thought.

Forest of Death, gate 15

At gate 15 were three Kusa-nins.

"Target the rookies first." One of them said.

"It looks like we've got carte blanche to pick them off from here on in which should make our job a lot easier." The one that had returned Anko's kunai earlier said.

Forest of Death, gate 41

At gate 41 were team Guy.

_'Guy-sensei, I will do my best!'_ Lee thought.

Forest of Death, gate 1

At gate 1 were team Terra.

"Let's get this show on the road." Ray said.

"Hey! Who died and made you the leader?" Chilly yelled as she pointed an accusing finger at Ray.

Forest of Death, gate 19

At gate 19 were team Ventus.

"YOSH! I can't wait to kill those Triforce wielders!" Flare yelled.

"Pipe down, will you? We don't need the entire village to know our mission!" Aqua said angrily.

"Part two of the Chunin exam begins… NOW" Anko yelled and the gates opened.

Forest of Death, gate 15

The three Kusa-nins burst through the open gate, having already decided on what team to attack.

"Those three, right?" One of them asked.

"Go for the brats!" Another one said.

Forest of Death, gate 12

"Yosh! Ikuzo!" Naruto yelled as they walked through the gate.

Forest of Death, team 8

Three shinobi in black body-suits were jumping through the trees until they heard something and they stopped to look down towards team 8 that was standing on the ground below them.

"The tower's where everyone is ultimately going… so we might as well set up traps as close to there as possible." Kiba said before Akamaru picked up the scent of the three ninja that were hiding above them "Found them already, huh? Where are they?"

"Stupid kids… they might as well be shouting, "capture us". From the sound of things, they know we're somewhere nearby, but they haven't figured out where yet." One of the unknown ninja said before he suddenly felt something on his neck.

"What's wrong? You're as white as a sheet." One of his partners said before noticing a leech that was on the guy's neck and all three looked up to see several other leeches, coming down. The three of them tried to force the leeches off them, but to no avail and they fell down to the ground.

"The flying leeches of Konoha village can sense perspiration and body heat and fling themselves en masse. If you can't get them off your body within five minutes, you're finished. And if you panic trying to get away from them… well… one team down." Kiba said as one of the three enemy ninja triggered a booby-trap that had been set up by team 8 earlier and the three was trapped in a net, hanging from a tree together with the flying leeches.

"HELP!" They yelled before screaming out in pain.

Forest of Death, team 7

"Did you guys hear someone scream?" Sakura asked as they heard the screams of team 8's victims "This place is creeping me out."

"I'm telling you, Sakura-chan, it's no big deal. Dattebayo!" Naruto said before he felt that he had to go "… Uhhh… I gotta take a leak…" He then walked over to some bushes, but before he could do anything else, Sakura punched him.

"Not in front of me, bozo! I'm a lady! Use the bushes!" Sakura yelled before Naruto walked into the bushes.

**'If it were Sasuke-kun, on the other hand… heh heh heh…' **Her inner self said.

"What could the Goddesses be thinking, choosing these three to be the Triforce wielders?" Navi said.

"Hey, they're not that bad. I'm sure that when push comes to show, they can beat anything that the Tanikage throws at them." Tatl said.

"I wouldn't count on it." Navi said unenthusiastically.

"Oh, man. What a relief. Feelin' good now." Naruto said as he returned, however Sasuke noticed that something was off.

"I told you, you're in the presence of a lady! Don't be vul…" Was all Sakura could say before Sasuke punched Naruto, sending him into a tree.

'_What the…?'_ Sakura thought before turning to Sasuke and saying "S-Sasuke-kun… I appreciate the chivalry, but that was way over the top."

"Yeah, man. You went way too far." Tael said.

"Wh-what was that for?" Naruto asked.

"What have you done with Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"Nani?" Sakura and Tael asked confused.

"Hello. I'm right here in front of you… bleeding." "Naruto" said.

"He asked you a question. What have you done with Naruto?" Navi asked.

"Yeah. What have you done to him?" Tatl asked.

"Huh? Navi, nee-san, what're you talking about?" Tael asked.

"You're wearing your shuriken holster on your left thigh. Naruto's right-handed." Sasuke said.

"And besides. We Fairies can sense emotions, so for us it was a no-brainer to figure out that you were an impostor." Navi said.

"Huh? Really?" Tael asked before blinked twice and he then started laughing out "Well, of course! I knew it was an impostor all along! Ha ha ha!"

'_Really? It didn't look like it.'_ Sakura thought.

"Naruto" then burst into a puff of smoke to reveal that it was an Ame-nin all along.

"Since you've forced me to come clean, why don't you do the same? Which one of you two has the scroll?" The Ame-nin asked, but when they didn't respond he said "Unfortunately, you've forced me to be direct." He then charged towards the two Konoha Genin, but then Sasuke jumped into the air as he weaved a series of hand signs.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" The Uchiha called out as he fired several small balls of fire from his mouth, but the Ame-nin managed to dodge every single fire ball.

Suddenly, however, Naruto appeared behind the Ame-nin as he swung his tanto. But the Ame-nin managed to dodge it before jumping into the trees. Naruto then pulled out his vine-whip and threw it so that it wrapped itself around one of the branches before sending the blond flying towards said branch, but on the way, however, he reached the Ame-nin and stabbed him in the shoulder with the tanto.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"You should move, Sakura-chan. His friends could be anywhere." Naruto said before pulling out of the Ame-nin as he landed on the branch that the vine-whip had wrapped itself around while watching as the Ame-nin was running away.

'_My… arm. This is awful. I thought coming alone would help conceal my presence… instead, it's been my ruin.'_ The Ame-nin thought as he ran away.

"He ran away." Tatl said.

"Hey, Naruto. What happened to you, anyway?" Sakura asked as the blond landed on the ground.

"That guy knocked me out from behind, and when I came to, I was tied-up." He said.

"Then how'd you get free?" Sakura asked.

"You can thank me for that." Navi said as she came hovering up next to Naruto's head.

"Navi found me, and undid the ropes. Well, at least until my hands were free." Naruto said.

"Well, at any rate. It seems we don't have to worry about someone impersonating anyone of us, since the Fairies appear to have the ability to sense someone's emotions. Well, except for Tael, that is." Sasuke said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Tael yelled.

Suddenly Naruto felt a cut coming across his cheek, and just a few seconds later, a powerful gust of wind came and swept him and the Fairies away while Sasuke and Sakura managed to jump out of the way in time.

Shortly after was Sasuke hiding in the bushes, seeing if he could find whoever it was that attacked them, but he couldn't spot anyone.

"Sasuke-kun!" He then got up on his feet and turned around to see Sakura.

"Sakura…" He said, and seeing as though none of the Fairies were around, he pulled out a kunai before asking "Stay there. Now tell me, where's Navi, why isn't he with you?"

"What are you talking about? Navi's a girl, and why would she be with me?" Sakura asked before Sasuke let out a sigh of relief.

"Only checking. It seems that the three of them might have been blown away by the winds." He said.

"Yow… Are you guys all right?" Naruto asked as he showed up.

"Not so fast, Naruto." Sasuke said, causing Naruto to halt "Where's Tael, and why isn't she with you?"

"Oh, well, she…" Before "Naruto" could finish however, Sasuke smirked as he threw a kunai at the blond, but said blond managed to dodge it easily.

"Heh." "Naruto" was then engulfed in a puff of smoke to reveal that it was actually the same Kusa-nin from before "Well done. What gave me away?"

"Tael is supposed to be with me. Plus, he's male." Sasuke said.

"I see… So since none of your little Fairies were around, you quickly came up with another plan of determining friend from foe. This is going to be more fun than I thought." The Kusa-nin said.

Forest of Death, Naruto

Naruto, Navi, Tatl, and Tael were all lying at the base of one of the forest's humongous trees.

"Where'd Sakura-chan and that bone-head Sasuke go?" Naruto asked as he climbed to his feet.

"I don't know, but this forest is giving me the creeps." Tatl said as she flew up to Naruto's shoulder and settled herself.

"We got separated from the others." Navi said as she landed on Naruto's head while Tael settled down on his other shoulder.

"Why do you three have to sit on me? I'm not a couch, ya know. Dattebayo!" Naruto said.

"But our wings are tired. I don't think they'll be able to even lift us for a while." Navi said.

"Alright, but if I have to fight someone or something, then don't throw-up at me. You got that?" Naruto said as he started walking before the three of them suddenly heard what sounded like the scream of some animal.

"What was that?" Tatl asked.

"I don't know, but it came from over there." Naruto said before he ran in the direction of the scream.

Forest of Death, team 7

"That was another phony Naruto." Sakura said as she looked at the Kusa-nin before thinking '_This one… gives me the creeps. Where is that fool Naruto, anyway?'_

"I suppose you'd like to steal our earth scroll, wouldn't you…? Since you've already got a heaven scroll." The Kusa-nin said as she held out her earth scroll before eating it, and she continued "Now… shall we see… just who will be stealing scrolls from whom? We'll fight to the death." Just then, she pulled slightly at her lower eye-lid with one of her fingers and both Sasuke and Sakura saw their own deaths at her hands before falling to their knees.

'… _She's casting… a Genjutsu!'_ Sasuke thought before vomiting _'It's not death… just an incredible simulation. I looked into her eyes… and she made me feel it… and believe it. Wh-who the heck is she…?'_

"Sakura…" He looked over at his female teammate to find her completely paralyzed _'Kuso! If we don't retreat now… we're finished. The only other option is death.'_

"Heh… I imagine you're paralyzed by now…" The Kusa-nin said.

'_Not quite… I can move… just enough.'_ Sasuke thought as he managed to pull out a kunai before the Kusa-nin threw a pair of kunai of her own towards the two as Sasuke activated his Sharingan and leaped towards Sakura.

The two kunai hit the bark of a tree and the Kusa-nin walked towards where the two Konoha-nins had just been to see a small pool of blood where Sasuke had been.

'_Amazing. The boy stabbed himself so that he would be able to focus on the pain and block out fear and illusion. Heh… Just as I thought, there is far more to this one than to the common prey.'_ She thought.

Forest of Death, team Ventus

Ventus, Flare, and Aqua were jumping from branch to branch until Ventus' head suddenly jerked up, and he came to a stop as Flare and Aqua stopped on another branch behind him.

'_That feeling just now… It couldn't really be _him,_ could it?'_ Ventus thought with wide eyes.

"Ventus-kun, what is it? Why'd we stop?" Aqua asked.

"Change of plan." Ventus said as he looked over his shoulder at the other two "Let's split up. We'll be able to cover more ground that way. We'll meet up at the tower." He then pulled out the scroll before throwing it to Flare "You'll take care of the scroll from now on." He then turned around and continued in a different direction.

"What's up with him?" Aqua asked.

"Ha! Who cares? Now I've got the scroll, and no one's gonna take it from me!" Flare said as he put the scroll in his pouch.

"Just don't burn it, alright?" Aqua said.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll keep it safe." Flare said before jumping off in a different direction from where Ventus had gone.

"But seriously. What's up with Ventus? He's always said that teamwork's the best way to win, so it's not like him to tell us to split up… Something's obviously wrong here, and I'm gonna get to the bottom of it." Aqua said before jumping off in a direction which was only slightly off from the one that Ventus was heading in.

Forest of Death, Naruto

Naruto stood on a branch as he looked down to the ground where he saw a small red four-legged reptilian creature which couldn't be any bigger than Kiba's mutt backing away from a giant snake.

The creature let out a yelp as the snake open its mouth and was about to leap at it. But Naruto quickly drew the Hakko Chakura To and jumped towards just behind the snake's head before cutting clean through it, beheading it.

When he then landed on the ground, the small creature ran over to him, obviously happy. And as it reached him, Naruto knelt down and petted it.

"Hey there, little guy. Did you get lost from your parents?" Naruto asked before he stopped petting the creature.

"Aaaaaaahhhh! It's a Dodongo! Naruto we have to get away before it eats us!" Navi yelled as she flew down in front of Naruto's face.

"He's just a baby, he's not gonna eat us." Naruto said.

"You've got no idea how terrifyingly evil these creatures are. Dodongos would eat whatever they come across, even Fairies and Hylians!" Navi said as she flew back and forth while the Dodongo followed her with his eyes before closing his mouth over her. His cheeks then started bulging out at several places as Navi attempted to get out, before she eventually managed to do so.

"See? The moment you turn your back to it, it's gonna gobble you up whole!" She yelled.

"Navi does have a point, you know. Most Dodongo's are like that. But look at him, he's still just a baby, and so cute." Tatl said as she flew down and petted the small dinosaur who gave a few contempt grunts in response.

"Say, we can't just leave him here. There's bound to be more of those giant snakes roaming the forest." Tael said.

"Well, then I guess we'll have to take him with us." Naruto said.

"Nani?" Navi yelled.

"Yep, guess so." Tael said.

"I'm so glad!" Tatl exclaimed as she hugged the Dodongo's head.

"Am I the only sane person here? It's a Dodongo! An evil monster!" Navi yelled, causing the Dodongo to start crying.

"Navi, now you made him cry!" Naruto said before picking the Dodongo up and hugging him "It's all right, I won't let the mean Fairy hurt you."

"Hmph!" Navi just crossed her arms and looked away.

"Say, I think we need to give you a name." Naruto said after the Dodongo had stopped crying and the blond ended the embrace "Hmm… How about…" Naruto was thinking hard, trying to come up with a name for the Dodongo.

"Dimitri?" Tatl suggested, causing everyone but Navi to look at her.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"It's the name of a Dodongo who was the friend of a Hylian Knight who not only saved the Kingdom of Hyrule, but also saved the Kingdoms of Holodrum and Labrynna around some 4.500 years ago." Tatl said.

"Well, what do you say?" Naruto asked as he looked at the small dinosaur who let out some happy grunts "All right, then. Dimitri it is."

Forest of Death, team 7

Sasuke and Sakura were currently up in the trees hoping that the Kusa-nin wouldn't find them.

"Speak to me, Sas…" Sakura started, but Sasuke put his hand over her mouth.

_'We've got to move fast, or she'll find us again. The question is how to evade her… um… um… How do we run…? Um…'_ The Uchiha thought.

_'Sasuke-kun is so jumpy… I've never seen him like this…'_ Sakura thought before she noticed a large snake coming down and staring at Sasuke. Sakura then managed to remove Sasuke's hand.

"Sasuke-kun! Snake!" She yelled before the two of them jumped in different directions.

_'Whoa… My chakra is so out of whack, I overlooked a giant snake.'_ Sasuke thought before the snake hissed and the Uchiha almost saw the Kusa-nin when he looked at the snake.

"Yaaaah! Get lost!" He yelled as he threw several shuriken into the snake's head before said snake fell down, dead. Suddenly, the Kusa-nin came up, out of the snake's skin.

"For shame, letting your guard down. Stay on your toes, like a good prey should. It makes the chase so much more rewarding… for the predatory." She said before slithering up the tree towards Sasuke like a snake, but suddenly came several shuriken and kunai flying down and they embedded themselves into the trunk right in front of the Kusa-nin. Everyone then looked towards where the shuriken and kunai had come from to see Naruto standing on a branch with Navi, Tatl, and Tael hovering around his head, and Dimitri sitting on said head.

"About time you got here, Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"Heh. Well, excuse me, princess." Naruto said. **(Kurama no Kyubi: Sorry, but I just couldn't resist.)**

"Naruto to the rescue, huh? You're completely psyched to be saving the day… But… now would be a good time to run for your life. This guy is way out of our league." Sasuke said.

"Heh heh… My compliments on your stunning defeat of the giant snake… Naruto-kun." The Kusa-nin said.

'_This chick's a freak. She's a Human… but all I can see when I look at her is a snake. Everything about her… snakey. I'll bet that snake was hers.'_ Naruto thought before yelling "HEY! Why don't you pick on someone your own size…? Or something like that…"

'_This is all I can think of…'_ Sasuke thought before deactivating his eyes.

'_Oh… Sharingan… but he stopped!'_ Sakura thought before Sasuke suddenly pulled out the scroll.

"If it's our scroll you want, come and get it! Just… take it and go!" Sasuke yelled.

'Nani?' Naruto thought.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Tael asked as he flew down to the Uchiha.

"Hey, Sasuke! Is this some clever way of beating the enemy…? By handing over everything we've got?" Naruto yelled.

"Well done… You're obviously natural-born pray… instinctively knowing that your only hope lies in the chance of the predator being distracted by some tastier bait." The Kusa-nin said.

"Navi, Tatl. Watch over Dimitri, will ya?" Naruto said as he put said Dodongo down on the branch.

"What are you going to do?" Tatl asked.

"Come and get it." Sasuke said as he threw the scroll towards the Kusa-nin, but then Naruto leapt down and grabbed the scroll before landing next to Sasuke.

"Stay out of this! You'll ruin everything!" Sasuke yelled before Naruto suddenly punched Sasuke so hard that the Uchiha went flying over to the next branch.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto… what are you…?" Sakura asked.

"This so-called Sasuke is obviously a fake." Naruto said.

"Nani?" Sakura said surprised.

"Naruto… you idiot. I'm me…!" Sasuke said.

"… That's bul. And you're the idiot, idiot. You're a coward. Which Sasuke isn't. So you're not him. I'm not so sure we need to be afraid of this guy… And even if we did hand over the scroll… there's no guarantee she'd spare us. So, even if you were Sasuke, I'd still be telling you you're an idiot… and maybe a chicken too." Naruto said.

"Oh, Naruto-kun. This is rich. And you're right. Why bargain…" The Kusa-nin said before pulling up her sleeve to reveal a tattoo just behind her wrist "… when I can simply kill you… and take the scroll?" She then bit her thumb and smeared the blood over the tattoo before weaving a series of hand signs.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled as he charged at the Kusa-nin.

"Don't do it, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled.

'_Aw, man…! My faith in Sasuke is totally shot!'_ Naruto thought.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." The Kusa-nin said before a large snake suddenly appeared in a gust of wind, and it lashed out with its tail, sending Naruto flying.

The blond was sent straight through a branch before he pulled out the vine-whip and threw it so that it wrapped itself around a smaller branch. He then pulled on the rope so that he was sent towards the giant snake.

"Well, I'm impressed." The Kusa-nin commented.

Naruto then drew his tanto before swinging it at the snake, but the snake simply evaded the slash before it moved in to eat Naruto whole.

"Eat snot, sucker!" The blond said as he kicked the snake with his heel.

'_How could the brat possibly…?'_ The Kusa-nin thought.

'_Naruto's… completely snapped… but… where did he get that kind of power?'_ Sakura thought.

"**Hmph… You better be thankful, you brat!"** A voice within Naruto's head said as said blond landed on a branch.

'_Kyubi…?'_ He thought before the Kusa-nin sent him flying into the bark of a tree with a cloud of dust.

'_Look at those eyes… he's…'_ The Kusa-nin thought.

'_Is that really Naruto?'_ Sasuke thought.

'_Ho ho… And the fun has just begun!'_ The Kusa-nin thought before saying "And it's Sasuke-kun's turn next! How will he take it?" The snake then rushed towards said Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled before Naruto suddenly appeared before the snake with one kunai in each hand, and both kunai were going into the snake.

"… Hey, are you okay… scaredy-cat?" He asked as he looked into Sasuke's eyes.

'_Naruto…'_ Sasuke thought before the Kusa-nin's tongue suddenly came down and wrapped itself around the boy before bringing him up face-to-face with the Kusa-nin.

"HEY! Get off me!" Naruto yelled.

'_Heh heh… the Kyubi brat is still alive and kicking. How fascinating that, when he is consumed with rage, he loses himself… and a bit of the Kyubi trapped within comes through. An amazing development.'_ The Kusa-nin thought as she weaved several hand signs while her tongue raised the blond's jacket to reveal the seal _'There's the proof. The spell that seals the monster within appears on your skin like a tattoo.'_ Small purple flames appeared on her fingertips and she struck Naruto in the stomach, reinforcing the seal.

"NARUTO!" Navi, Tatl, and Tael yelled.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto needs you!" Sakura yelled as Sasuke had only been standing there like a statue the whole time.

'_After being trapped within him for a dozen years… the Kyubi and Naruto's native chakra and psyche have apparently gone from enmity and opposition to coexistence… and are on the very brink of symbiosis. But today you are more trouble than you're worth.'_ The Kusa-nin thought before flinging Naruto away as she had also taken the scroll.

'_He's bound to fall.'_ Sakura thought before she threw a kunai while yelling "NARUTO!" The kunai caught Naruto's jacket and stuck him to a tree.

"SASUKE-KUN! Naruto may be nothing like you. And sometimes he's a big nuisance, but at least he's got guts. Naruto's no coward. Right?" Sakura yelled and Sasuke closed his eyes as he thought back to what his brother had said after murdering the clan.

"Ototou, you're pathetic. If you want to kill me, settle for hating me until you can. Hate me… and live. Live like the coward you are. Clinging to life… without honor."

"**Sasuke-kun, beware the darkness in your heart for it will consume you if you aren't careful. Go forth and realize your true strength, and you will overcome any challenges with your Power."** An all-too familiar voice said within Sasuke's head.

'_Iie!'_ Sasuke thought, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a large hall.

He noticed that there was some kind of pedestal at one end of the hall, in front of a huge gate. He walked towards the pedestal, and as he got closer, he spotted six oddly shaped holes on the top of it. On the floor around the pedestal, he also noticed that there was an image of the Triforce with the pedestal exactly in the middle.

He then looked up at the gate to see a large glyph-like symbol with the Triforce exactly in the middle. **(Kurama no Kyubi: Imagine the symbol on the front-cover of Hyrule Historia.)**

"**Uchiha Sasuke-kun, welcome."** Sasuke then turned around to see a beautiful tan-skinned woman who seemed to be in her late teens. The woman had long red hair in a pony-tail, and a red dress.

"Who are you? And where is this place?" Sasuke asked.

"**My, aren't you the bold one? Talking like that to a Goddess. I think I might like you."** The woman said while winking at the last words.

"Goddess?" Sasuke asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"**Yes, I'm Din, the Goddess of Power. As for your second question, we're in a place deep inside your mindscape."** Din said.

"My mindscape?" Sasuke asked.

"**Well, it's a little complicated, but it's like a world which exists inside your psyche."** Din said.

"I see. But why did you bring me in here?" Sasuke asked.

"**To give you this."** Din said as she held out her right hand show a small red light **"Din's Fire."**

"Din's… Fire?" Sasuke asked and Din nodded.

"**It contains a small fragment of my powers. However, it'll only be a limited power that will only hold for a maximum of five minutes."** Din said before putting her hand on Sasuke's chest as the red light entered the Uchiha's body.

"Wh-what power…" Sasuke said before closing his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were glowing an orange color, and he also had an orange aura surrounding his body.

"All right, you snake bastard, now you're up against an Uchiha." He said as he looked at the Kusa-nin.

'_Heh heh… The look in his eyes has changed. This might get more interesting than I thought.'_ The Kusa-nin said.

(Boss #4: Snake summoning Kusa-nin, Shiore?)

Sasuke then leapt towards the Kusa-nin before throwing a punch, but the Kusa-nin easily managed to block it, however, just then, a huge explosion of fire came out from Sasuke's fist, sending the Kusa-nin flying back.

'_Nani? What was that?'_ The Kusa-nin thought before regaining her balance in mid-air as she landed on a branch.

"What just happened?" Sakura asked no one in particular.

Sasuke then leapt towards the Kusa-nin again, but this time she avoided his attacks rather than blocking them.

'_He seems to have gotten some kind of power-up. Well, no matter, as long as he doesn't hit me, I'll be fine.'_ The Kusa-nin thought before Sasuke got tired of none of his attacks hitting his opponent, so he decided to punch the branch instead.

"Nani?" Was all the Kusa-nin could say before he, Sasuke, and the branch were engulfed in an explosion of fire.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled just before someone jumped out of the flames, and her eyes widened when she saw the Kusa-nin land on a branch. The fires then vanished to reveal that neither Sasuke nor the branch had been even the slightest bit damaged.

'_I see. Those are no ordinary flames. They have no effect on him, nor on the environment around him, yet they can still have a devastating effect on his opponents.'_ The Kusa-nin thought, but just then he noticed something, Sasuke's eyes had changed '_That's…!'_

Sasuke then pulled out several kunai before throwing them at the Kusa-nin, but said Kusa-nin easily managed to dodge them before thrusting his arm forward as four snakes shot out from his sleeves.

Sasuke then jumped over to another branch as he weaved a series of hand signs.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" He then fired several balls of fire from his mouth at the Kusa-nin, but said Kusa-nin easily managed to dodge them all before she jumped towards the Uchiha.

'_Ho ho ho… So he's awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, has he? He's sure becoming a lot like his elder brother.'_ She thought before throwing a punch at Sasuke, sending the boy careening through the air before he regained his balance and landed on the side of a tree.

"Heh… Is that all you've got? Maybe I was scared for nothing after all." He said before leaping towards the Kusa-nin, but when he approached her, she simply kicked him further up into the air.

However, Sasuke then threw two shuriken towards the Kusa-nin, though both projectiles passed by her, however, she noticed the threads too late, and Sasuke pulled back the threads so that the shuriken came back and this time circled around the Kusa-nin as she was caught in the threads.

"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" Sasuke said as he formed the tora sign and sent a wave of flames towards the Kusa-nin.

"Sasuke-kun, you did it!" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped over to Sasuke as he landed on a branch as Tael also came flying over to them.

"Ha ha… I knew you could do it, buddy." The small Fairy said as Sasuke was panting heavily.

"That one so young should have such mastery of the Sharingan… Truly a worthy successor of the honored name of clan Uchiha. In fact… I believe… I want you, after all…" The Kusa-nin said as the flames died down, and everyone's eyes widened at seeing that she was still unscathed aside from a part around her left eye where her skin seemed to have fallen off, to reveal pure white skin underneath as well as a yellow slitted eye.

The Kusa-nin then put her hand on her Hitai-ate as she continued "It's marvelous fun, having you show me all your tricks. You really are _his_ brother, aren't you? You can see – and conceal – things with those eyes of yours that Itachi-kun himself never dreamed of." Just then Sasuke's eyes went back to normal as the orange aura vanished.

'_Kuso! It's been five minutes already?_' Sasuke thought as the Kusa-nin removed her hand from her Hitai-ate to reveal an Oto symbol, instead of a Kusa symbol.

"Just who the heck are you?" Sasuke yelled.

"I'm Orochimaru, the giant snake. If you'd ever like a rematch… then pass this exam as quickly as you can." Orochimaru said as she – or rather – he burned the scroll that he'd taken from Naruto earlier "I'll see you again, if you manage to defeat the three Oto-nins who answer to me."

"Wh-what are you babbling on about? We never want to see your face again!" Tatl yelled.

"Perhaps not… but wishing won't chase me away." Orochimaru said as he made a hand sign before his neck suddenly extended and his head lunged towards Sasuke and bit down on said Uchiha's neck, however, the Triforce symbol on Sasuke's hand started glowing, and Orochimaru suddenly started feeling a searing pain running through his body.

He then retracted his neck back to its original length, though he could still feel the pain. Of course he wondered where said pain was coming from, but it didn't matter for his plan had been a success, the curse mark had been placed.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Sasuke-kun… in the quest for power." He said.

"Wh-what…? Everything… hurts." Sasuke said as he brought his hand over his neck where Orochimaru had bitten him as three black tomoe suddenly appeared there.

"Hey, Sasuke! Are you all right, buddy?" Tael asked.

"What did you do to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura yelled as Orochimaru started to sink down into the ground.

"Just a little something to remember me by…" He said before Sasuke screamed.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled as Sasuke continued to scream and writhe in pain "S-Sasuke-kun…? Hang on, Sasuke! You hear me?" Tears then started welling up in her eyes before she started to look around "Naruto… Naruto… Sasuke is…" She then spotted Naruto hanging unconscious from the kunai she had thrown earlier '_I… Wh-what should I do…?'_

Forest of Death, Anko

Exam proctor Anko was jumping from branch to branch as she was trying to find _him_. Not long ago had three Chunin-level proctors found three dead Kusa-nins that had been robbed of their faces. And it hadn't taken long for Anko to realize just who must've been behind.

'_It's already dusk. I have to find him soon. The darker it gets… the worse this situation will get. The question is… why did he choose to show up now? What's he playing at? Not that it matters… If it really is you, then we'll end this. Right here, right now. Because you've become a Bingo-Book level S threat.'_ She thought before she stopped on a branch as she continued '_And I'm going to kill you, even if it costs me my life. And if I can't manage that, then… at least I'll slow you down until the ANBU teams can get here. It's my duty. It's what I learned from my greatest teacher ever… what I learned from you…'_ "… Isn't it, Orochimaru?" She finished as Orochimaru was hiding in a tree behind her.

"Impossible…" He said.

Anko then pulled four kunai from her sleeve before she jumped into the air and twirled around to throw the sharp projectiles, but then Orochimaru opened his mouth and his tongue suddenly lashed out at her.

The tongue wrapped itself around Anko's wrist, causing her to lose the kunai before she landed on a branch.

'_You can't escape… Sen'eijashu!'_ Anko thought before two snakes came out of her sleeve and bit into the tongue. Anko then pulled on the tongue so that Orochimaru was pulled out of the tree.

Orochimaru then began retracting the tongue, which caused him to be pulled towards Anko faster, and both of them crashed into the side of a tree before Anko grabbed Orochimaru's wrist, pulled out a kunai from her sleeve, pinned the Sannin to the tree, and stabbed the kunai through both her and Orochimaru's hands.

"Got you." She said before grabbing Orochimaru's left hand and started to weave hand signs together with it "Orochimaru, could you lend me a hand? The left one?"

'_Th-that's the sign of…!'_ Orochimaru thought in surprise.

"That's right… We're going to die together here." Anko said as though she could read the Sannin's thoughts before she said "Ninpou: Sojasosai no Jutsu!"

"You mean to commit suicide? How precious." Orochimaru said from behind her, causing her to cancel the Jutsu as she turned around to see the real Orochimaru sitting on a branch above her "But that's a Bunshin…" Just then, the clone puffed away "Since – for the time being – it appears you have become one of this village's Jonin ninja… you mustn't just squander every secret I taught you." Orochimaru then pulled off the fake face to reveal his real, pale face.

"Why? Why are you here? Why _now_?" Anko asked as she fell down on her knees.

"For old times' sake, of course, my dearest Anko. But from your cold reaction… one might almost suspect you're not glad to see me." Orochimaru said.

"Oooh…" Anko felt a sting of pain at her neck, where she had her curse mark, and she put her hand there "What is it? An assassination attempt? Are you after Hokage-sama?"

"Heavens, no. I lack the hubris – and the proper number of subordinates – to attempt anything of that magnitude. My targets are any ninja of the village who display extra-ordinary abilities. In fact, I just left my mark as a little parting gift on one of the boys." Orochimaru said.

"You monster. It's a time-bomb… He'll be dead in no time." Anko said.

"There's a nine-out-of-ten chance that you're right, of course… But just the same, he may survive… as you did." Orochimaru said.

"And the thought of him gives you a charge?" Anko asked.

"Oh, my dear. Jealous? After all this time… are you still angry that I used you and abandoned you? This child seems quite exceptional… unlike you. His blood-line is that of the Uchiha clan… His face and his body are very beautiful. He could be the perfect vessel… to succeed me. I foresee interesting times… assuming he survives. And don't get any clever ideas about trying to end this exam." Orochimaru said before rising to his feet as he continued "I plan to savor this. Three of my protégés have taken the places of three of your own. If something should happen to rob me of my enjoyment… it will spell the end of Konoha village." He then vanished in a puff of smoke.

Forest of Death, Ventus (5 minutes later)

Ventus landed on a branch in a crouching position as he looked down towards Orochimaru who was now on the ground beneath him.

'_I knew it! Orochimaru's here! But why…? What could he possibly be after? There's no way he could've known about the Triforce bearers.'_ He thought before Orochimaru suddenly looked up towards him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ventus-kun." He said.

"Orochimaru…" Ventus said as he appeared before Orochimaru in a shunshin.

"I see you went and joined Tani." Orochimaru said as he noticed Ventus' Hitai-ate before continuing "So how's that kid, Ganondorf-kun treating you?"

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time…" Ventus said before closing his eyes as powerful winds started blowing around them, and then black wind-like markings came up from just beneath the back of his neck as he opened his eyes and said "Kamikaze…!"

Chapter preview

Dosu "Heh heh… You've been up all night standing guard, eh?"…"As of now, you're off duty. Just wake Sasuke for us. The three of us want to take him on."

Sakura "What does this mark on Sasuke-kun's neck mean? With Sasuke-kun in this condition… now you want to fight him? Get out here! Go!"

Lee "I promised when we met to protect you… until death do us part."

Shikamaru "Next time on The Legend of Naruto: Death-match in the Forest of Death."

Sakura "Ah! Y-you're…!"

Aqua "I can't just stand by and watch as a defenseless girl is getting beaten up."

Character stats

Naruto: Level: 13

Hearts: 4 3/4

Chakra Level: Divine.

Techniques: Henge, Kawarimi, Oiroke, Harem, Kage Bunshin.

Weapons: Hakko Chakura To, kunai, shuriken, vine-whip.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Courage.

Sasuke: Level: 15

Hearts: 5 2/4

Chakra Level: Divine.

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi, Katon: Goukakyo, Katon: Housenka, Katon: Ryuka, Din's Fire.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken, Din's Fire.

Race: Hylian.

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan.

Triforce: Power.

Sakura: Level: 4

Hearts: 3 2/4

Chakra Level: Divine.

Techniques: Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Triforce: Wisdom.

Anko: Level: 40

Hearts: 26 2/4

Chakra Level: Jonin.

Techniques: Sen'eijashu, Sen'ei Tajashu, Kuchiyose, Katon: Ryuka, Sojasosai.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken.

Race: Hylian.

Orochimaru: Level: 69

Hearts: 35 ¾

Chakra Level: Kage.

Techniques: Kanashibari, Kage Bunshin, Sen'eijashu, Sen'ei Tajashu, Mandara no Jin, Jagei Jubaku, Kuchiyose, Kuchiyose: Rashomon, Gogyo Fuin, Futon: Daitoppa, Doton: Kage Bunshin, Doton: Moguragakure, Shoshagan, Juinjutsu, Sojasosai.

Weapons: kunai, shuriken, Kusanagi.

Race: Hebio.

**Kurama no Kyubi: **And that's another chapter done. What's Ventus' connection to Orochimaru, why is Orochimaru after Sasuke, and how did a Dodongo get all the way here from the Land of Earth? These questions and more will NOT be answered in the next chapter… and possibly not in this ark at all, with the exception of why Orochimaru's after Sasuke. Also, I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but I recently started reading/watching Fairy Tail, and I wondered if I should add some characters from there into this story, though I'd like to see what you reviewers think before adding any. Now, see ya next time, and until then please review, thx.


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